The Sami Parliament in the natural landscape

The Sami Parliament building resides in a landscape consisting of pine trees and natural vegetation, and the building naturally embraces this fauna. Elements such as concrete and untreated Siberian larch allow the building to blend in with the surrounding nature. The idea behind choosing these materials is that the building should age and take on character naturally, and that the aging process should give it a natural gray color. Local materials were prioritized in its construction, and all decorative stones used in the building are from Finnmark. Many who visit the Sami Parliament are surprised by the absence of a planted garden with roses and other colorful shrubs, which are usually found outside monumental buildings. Outside the Sami Parliament, there is no such garden, but a natural heather field, and the plateau landscape creeps right up to the building's wall. The building’s embrace of the local fauna and nature becomes part of the architecture. On the other side of the river is Finnmark's oldest wooden church, built in 1807. It is one of the few wooden buildings that remained after large parts of Finnmark were burned by retreating Nazi troops in World War II.