Nordic Architectural Firm Snøhetta Unveils Coarvemátta: A Cultural Hub Honoring Sámi Heritage in Alta, Norway

Architectural firm Snøhetta completes Coarvemátta, a multifunctional cultural center unveiled in Alta, Norway, designed to celebrate Sámi cultural resurgence through its innovative structure and programming.

Sámi Architecture Arctic Design Cultural Institutions Cultural Heritage Sustainability in Arts and Culture Contemporary Sámi Art

Architectural firm Snøhetta completes Coarvemátta, a multifunctional cultural center in Alta, Norway, designed to celebrate and promote Sámi culture through its innovative structure and programming.

Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.

Project Overview:

Snøhetta, in collaboration with 70°N arkitektur and artist Joar Nango, has completed Čoarvemátta, a multifunctional building in Kautokeino, Norway. The structure houses the Sami National Theatre Beaivváš and the Sami High School and Reindeer Herding School. The name Čoarvemátta, derived from Sámi words for horn and root, symbolizes strength and unity.

Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.

Architectural Design:

The building features a branching shape with a central entrance and vestibule. Its design draws inspiration from traditional Sámi structures like the lávvu, incorporating curved lines and visible timber structures. The massive roof, measuring 4,930 m², is clad with 34,000 meters of Kebony wood. The façade uses standing wood clad in ore pine, with reused Alta slate stone on the theatre’s gable wall.

Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.

Interior and Landscape:

The interior color scheme transitions from warm reds in the center to cooler blues at the wings’ ends, referencing Sámi color use. The landscape design aims to integrate the building with its surroundings, including an amphitheater with a fire pit and sitting stones. The project preserves and restores the natural plateau landscape around the building.

Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.

Sustainability Features:

Čoarvemátta meets Passive house standards and is 90% self-sufficient in energy for heating and cooling, thanks to 40 geowells drilled about 250 meters into the ground. The building incorporates local materials and focuses on energy efficiency and environmental preservation.

Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.

Signage and Wayfinding:

Snøhetta designed a comprehensive signage and wayfinding program for Čoarvemátta, complementing the building’s architecture, interior, and landscape design. The system balances functionality with cultural references. The design employs extensive iconography to ensure readability across multiple languages including Northern, Southern, Lule Sámi, and Bokmål. This approach enhances visibility and understanding from a distance.

Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.

Cultural Significance:

The project integrates Sámi culture through its design, materials, and commissioned artworks. Six new commissioned artworks, including a stage curtain by Máret Ánne Sara and an embroidery by Britta Marakatt-Labba, have been created for the building. Additionally, existing works by renowned Sámi artists Aage Gaup and Iver Jåks have been relocated to the new structure.

Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
Čoarvemátta building by Snøhetta. Photography by Lars Petter Pettersen/Snøhetta.
“We are proud to have contributed to putting this long-awaited and important building in its place. A combined theater and reindeer herding school is a fun program to work with for an architect. It is a testament to good architecture that two really non-interoperable institutions are successfully connected. The project also provides exceptionally good use of resources, which also play a vital role in traditional Sami handicrafts, duodji, where it’s an important principle that everything from the animal can be used for something – the skin, the nostril – and the horn. The innermost part of the reindeer horn also symbolizes different qualities and strengths and represents elements that unite, as we hope Čoarvemátta will be a unifying force for the institutions that share the building, and the Sami community at large.”
Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Snøhetta Founding Partner​