Northern Light Arctic Observatory Competition

I have had a busy summer which is why I have not updated my blog for the while. Exciting new opportunities came up. I’m now an editor for the Dutch Architecture Magazine Terra Architectura and am busy working on a German and English edition of the magazine. I have been to the International Specialist Nursery Days at the historic Estate of Bingerden where I have seen new plant selections and had a fantastic open air dinner, overlooking the beautiful 18th century landscaped park.

I also have been to Helsinki for the first time in my life. I fell in love with the beauty of the landscape, especially the amount of birch trees and water, the elegance of Finnish design, and the kindness and hospitality of the people living there.

This week is also a busy one for me. I am happily supporting Dutch Garden Architect Bart Hoes once more at the famous Dutch lifestyle and interior exhibition the Woonbeurs in Amsterdam. I will post some impressions of our stand soon. In the meantime relax and indulge yourself in the atmospheric and mystic impressions of the Northern Light Arctic Observatory competition:

 

ROVANIEMI (FI) –

From the beginning, Man has been fascinated by Earth’s mysteries. What makes a fire burn? What lies awake at the bottom of the ocean? Which mountain peaks reach highest to the heavens?

For many generations, the Northern Lights were one of nature’s greatest mysteries. Why did the sky turn green and yellow and purple in various regions of the Earth, at specific times of the year, while other places, other skies, remained entirely unchanged?

Every year, thousands of tourists travel to Rovaniemi, Finland, to see the Northern Lights. Located in the icy curls of the Arctic Circle, this is the capital of Finnish Lapland.

The weather conditions here can be so extreme that designing for a place like this can be different from doing it in any other region of the world. During the winter temperatures can reach -30°C (-22°F), the sun is gone for most of the season, and there is snowfall 183 days a year, on average. In the summer, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Rovaniemi experiences 24 hours of sunlight, known around the world as ‘the midnight sun’.