Greenland Architecture: BIOSIS Advances a New Masterplan in Nuuk

As Greenland increasingly occupies global attention—both politically and environmentally—urban development in its capital is accelerating. A new masterplan by Copenhagen-based studio BIOSIS for the Ningitsivik area of Nuuk is now moving into construction, marking a significant step in the city’s response to housing pressure and territorial visibility on the world stage.

Nuuk’s Growth and a Deepening Housing Crisis

Nuuk’s population has more than doubled since 1980, reaching just over 20,000 residents by 2025. This rapid growth has intensified an already critical housing shortage across Greenland, where settlement patterns are constrained by geography, climate, and policy.

At the same time, Greenland’s strategic importance has brought renewed international scrutiny. Recent rhetoric from the White House—where President Donald Trump has again raised the idea of annexation under the banner of U.S. national security—has underscored the territory’s geopolitical relevance. Against this backdrop, domestic planning and self-determined development have taken on heightened symbolic and practical importance.

Planning Under Public Land Ownership

Land ownership in Greenland remains strictly public. Private landholding is prohibited, and approximately half of the population—out of roughly 56,000 people—lives in government-owned rental housing. Long-term spatial and housing strategies are guided by Kommuneplan 2028, developed by the Government of Greenland’s national planning authority.

Within this framework, architectural practices are tasked not only with delivering housing, but with shaping resilient communities under extreme Arctic conditions.

BIOSIS and Modular Architecture in the Arctic

Founded in 2018 by Morten Vedelsbøl and Mikkel Thams Olsen, BIOSIS has emerged as a key contributor to housing development across Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Scandinavia. The studio has developed a modular construction system specifically adapted to northern challenges, including steep terrain, flooding risk, and thawing permafrost.

This approach allows buildings to be prefabricated, efficiently assembled, and carefully positioned to minimize environmental disturbance.

Community-Driven Design in Remote Settlements

Beyond housing, BIOSIS is also working on social infrastructure. In Kullorsuaq, a new community center currently under construction will combine a preschool, youth facilities, communal spaces, and emergency housing within a single elevated courtyard structure that floats above the terrain.

Vedelsbøl describes the studio’s philosophy as rooted in proximity and shared daily life:

“When people live, work, study, and spend their leisure time in the same area, it strengthens community, safety, and social bonds. This is especially important in the remote regions we work in, where communities are small and closely connected.”

Qullilerfik: Reimagining a Difficult Site

In Nuuk, BIOSIS has already delivered Nuukallak 10, a prefabricated residential project providing 45 housing units. Building on this experience, the studio is now developing a second multifamily project in Qullilerfik, which will add 46 new units to the city.

The site was initially considered unsuitable for development due to its constraints. BIOSIS approached it as an opportunity rather than a limitation, carefully shaping the project around scale, daylight, and views.

According to Vedelsbøl, the five prism-shaped residential buildings were designed to transition in height between neighboring structures, ensuring visual harmony while optimizing light access, privacy, and outlook for residents.

Large-Scale Housing in Qinngorput

Further east, BIOSIS has designed a 130-unit high-density residential campus in the Qinngorput district of Nuuk. Construction on this project began in 2025, reinforcing the studio’s growing role in shaping the city’s expanding urban fabric.

The Ningitsivik Masterplan Takes Shape

The Ningitsivik masterplan, developed in collaboration with Nuuk-based firm Titarneq, is now under construction. The project introduces a mixed residential and commercial neighborhood positioned along a rocky cliff overlooking the water.

The plan includes detached houses, townhouses, and mid-rise residential buildings, carefully arranged to respond to topography rather than dominate it.

Lightweight Villas with Minimal Environmental Impact

The villa typologies within Ningitsivik feature angled forms and timber construction. Wood cladding has been selected for its resistance to long-term salt exposure from the sea, while timber structural frames rest on pilotis, lifting the buildings above the ground.

This strategy significantly reduces ground disturbance and allows the architecture to negotiate the rugged landscape with a lighter touch.

Vedelsbøl notes that the guiding principle behind the masterplan was to achieve the smallest possible environmental footprint, ensuring that development in Ningitsivik aligns with both Greenland’s fragile ecosystems and its evolving urban ambitions.