This studio was part of a research effort at the University of Virginia investigating architecture and urbanism in the arctic in terms of technical and logistical challenges, social patterns, and the impacts of climate changes and geopolitical machinations. The studio recieved funding to travel to Svalbard and Jan Mayen, a remote island territory administered by Norway. The islands include the northernmost civilian settlements in the world, including Longyearbyen, a Norwegian town focused on science and tourism; Barentsburg, a Russian mining settlement; and Pyramiden, another mining settlement abandoned since the fall of the Soviet Union. After an intensive on-site investigation speculative interventions were investigated back in Virginia, exploring ways that architectural elements could interact with the extreme climactic and social conditions.