Modern Sami Architecture Sight speci�ic and landscape friendly urbanism to organize a traditional and naturalway of life
By Lyakhov Vyacheslav, AHO 2014.
Foto by: Eimear Tynan Kautokeino area. Well-preserved primordial but extremelly vulnerable inner Finmark landscape, the territory of indiginous Sami people inhabitance and reindeer herding.
Interventing this landscape could be super-affective the reindeer herding. And it is not only about building on their pastures and separating their tracks with hedges. Even the presence of built massive in their sight view point has negative consequences and distracts reindeers. Thats why it is not only important to leave the herd some land, but also to keep the landscape in natural primordial way. Presence of foreign objects, buildings, especially touristic and industrial harms the reindeer herding society, as reindeer prefer to stay away from massive artificial objects on their way. Ages ago sami people used to live in Lavu tents, but later used to build european-like houses. And the way they did it, how they drew their houses into the landscape could be examplous as far as they had to manage it in a way, not to occupy too much territory, sheltering the view and interfering the pastures. Probably using these principles could be the way of the future development in tis area.
Specifics of Saami dwellings
1. Temporary location of Lavvo while herding 2. Sedentery settlement - farming 3. Close connection with the landscape 4. Big outdoor area - important part of a dwelling 5. Comparitively big distance between buildings 6. Many smaller buildings, separate building for each aim 7. Bounding to river banks 8. Outdoor area used both for farming and technical needs and recreation and children playground
Sametinget building (on the left) is the building of Sami Parliament in Karasjok. It was built inspired by traditional Sami Lavvu (on the right). This is a nice example of architecture as sight-specific art. Built with traditions of ancestors is the best form for the needs of Sami Parliament - institution that provides interests of indigenous people and protects Sami people’s rights, culture and natural way of life. On other hand, buildings like that do not tear apart the traditional Sami landscape, as in a way, they represent the same Lavvu but in newer forms that quite organically fits to the background.
Sami Museum in Kautokeino collects and exposes cultural and historical artefacts of Sami Culture and way of life. No surprise, that its building was also created inspired by traditional Sami Lavvu-alike shapes. But for its shape, this building is in a way visually pushed-in the land and doesnot grow too high, so not disturbing the view of the la nscape.
Sami University College made in absolutelly modern scandinavian style, but uses local materials and finishing, such as wood from local forests, and even some details from reindeer.
The dam on the river is of couse an example of negative intervention to the lanscape and could hardly be reffered as Sami architecture. It not only changes the view, but also brings some ecological problems to these places - one of the highest salmon containing area. Of course, on one hand we need electricity (the dam includes power plant), but on other hand we also need preserving the natural economy and ecology of the area. So the conflict apears on the meeting of interests of Local people, using natureal resources and inhabiting this landscape, and needs of region and the state in energetcis.
...But on other hand this dam brings an unexpected idea. The power pland is situated inside the rock in such a way, that you can not see it from aside (excluding the dam itself of course), untill you come really close. This is an interesting way and this experience could be used forward. Not blocking the rivers with dams, of course, but this way of hidden buildings could be used in herding areas or near them, in order not to distract reindeers, who can nat live near urbanized area and big noticable buildings. I think such a solution could be a compromise, between needs of economy and demands of reindeer herders and indigenous people for preserving their landscape and way of life.