As global concerns about climate change grow each year—reshaping our daily lives, cities, and landscapes—some places face a paradoxical challenge: extreme cold. In the world's harshest latitudes, designing sustainable, habitable buildings requires more than conventional approaches; it demands innovation and a deep respect for the local environment. This is the commitment of BIOSIS, an architecture studio based in Copenhagen, which has embraced the challenge of working in some of the planet's most extreme climates. Specializing in climate-driven design, the firm adapts each project to its surrounding environment, respecting and collaborating with nature. For founders Morten Vedelsbøl and Mikkel Thams Olsen, with whom we spoke, this approach represents more than structural resilience—it's a way to harmonize buildings with the environment in regions where extreme cold is a daily reality.
In northern areas such as Nuuk, Greenland, and Labrador, Canada, project success relies on architecture that is robust, resilient, adaptable, and deeply respectful of the environment. "Architecture in extremely cold climates requires more than just importing building practices from temperate zones. It demands rethinking materials, design, and energy efficiency from the outset," says Mikkel Thams Olsen. To this end, BIOSIS's design process begins with a meticulous analysis of the unique environment of each project, such as wind patterns, daylight hours, snowfall, and topography, to understand how to shape buildings that harmonize with the environment rather than dominate it.
The architects note that "sustainability" is often used imprecisely or misinterpreted, so they focus on a broader approach to creating architecture, planning cities, and designing landscapes, considering a variety of complex factors – whether global, local, or social. To support this vision, they developed a set of proprietary tools to map each site's specific potential, which they call "Climate Driven Design." This approach integrates all levels of decision-making—from urban planning to material selection—to ensure that every relevant aspect is considered and that the multiple factors involved are understood and respected.
