NANA opens Anchorage building for five subsidiaries, cutting qupak instead of ribbon

NANA Regional Corporation opens the Hunter Building in Anchorage on Friday, Aug. 28, bringing five of its Alaska subsidiaries under one roof. At the ceremony, the object cut will not be a ribbon but a length of qupak, the decorative trim sewn onto traditional Iñupiaq parkas and regalia from many small pieces of fabric or fur stitched into repeating patterns.

The building is owned by NANA and will serve as the Anchorage home for several of its Alaska-based subsidiaries: NANA North, NMS, NANA Construction, Kuna Engineering and Qavvik Air. The corporation says the move is meant to let them share services and work together.

NANA is owned by more than 15,500 Iñupiat shareholders who live in or have roots in Northwest Alaska. The corporation describes the region as 38,000 square miles and 11 communities, largely above the Arctic Circle.

"The Hunter Building is more than office space," said Brad Kuuġnaaluk Osborne, NANA vice president of operations.

The corporation states the qupak theme was chosen because each subsidiary, employee and shareholder is one part of a larger pattern. That framing comes from NANA's own announcement; no outside voice appears in the material.

Cultural design is embedded in the floor plan rather than confined to the ceremony. The three floors are themed for subsistence from the land, water and air, in that order from the first floor up, with plaques, posters and pop-up signage interpreting each element in relation to the land and people of the NANA region. Creative Space curated the design and cultural features. Criterion General was the construction contractor and KPB Architects provided architectural services across an 18-month renovation.

The announcement does not give a start time or a street address, or say whether the opening is open to anyone outside the corporation.