The Svalbard Governor Administration Building was designed by Einar Jarmund and Hakon Vigsnaes, which was completed in 1998. The building is located approximately 400 m above the sea, and has a view overlooking the Advent Fjord towards the northeast, the Is Fjord towards the west and the Longyear Valley towards the east. Located nearby is the governor’s estate built in 1950, together they comprise the governor’s headquarters.

This administrative building is faced with extremes of temperature and light that would be difficult for any architect. The project is a complex for the governor of the most northerly regularly-inhabited settlement in the world. Jarmund Vigsnaes Architects has produced some exquisite private houses in rural conditions, but had not previously built anything in a wasteland like this. Not only must the building be insulated against the vicious temperatures as low as -50º C winter, but it must also respond to the sun.

The shaping and detailing of this building reflects physiological and psychological need for protection towards a harsh arctic climate. For much of the year there is complete darkness, and at other times Svalbard has 24 hours sunlight. Artificially lit snow and ice covering the protective louvers gives a view during the dark period of the year. The low-angle sun prompted the use of substantial louvres on the large, triple-glazed windows, which reflect the light from the building on to the snow back into the rooms.

Jarmund Vigsnaes Architects said that their inspiration came from the industrial mining traditions of the area and the need to deal with these climatic conditions. This mysterious louvred building, with its unconventional, inward-sloping walls and dark grey appearance also suggests something of the lair of an action-film villain.

The previous building had been destroyed by fire in 1995, but the architects were able to use the remaining concrete structure and foundations, preventing the need for expensive and tricky drilling into the permafrost. L-shaped in form, the headquarters forms the northern and western sides of a rectangular courtyard. It consists of two main volumes that are rectangular in form. A central building is located at their meeting point. This portion of the complex is multifaceted, but is more or less in the form of a slanted rectangle, partially absorbed by the main volumes.

Characteristically the Svalbard Governor Administration Building has a sculptural quality, which there is an unclear division between the walls and the roof. This is achieved through sloping walls that are clad with zinc sheeting. The north-side of the building is protected with grey timber screens; this adds to the sculptural quality of the building. The screens are composed of thin pieces of wood and are supported by steel components.

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