Europe’s first underwater restaurant opens in Norway

Europe’s first underwater restaurant, designed by Olso-based architect Snøhetta, has opened in Lindesnes on Norway’s southernmost tip.

The "Under" restaurant takes the form of a 34m-long half-submerged monolith, with metre-thick concrete walls. The structure is designed to age over time, with the rough concrete transforming into a reef for creatures such as limpets and kelp.

The restaurant, which was announced in October 2017, can seat 35-40 customers.

Visitors descend through three levels. From the entrance, where the tide pool meets the sea, they enter the cloakroom area. They then go down a level to the champagne bar, which marks the transition between the shoreline and the ocean. From the bar, guests can look down at the seabed level, where two long tables and several smaller ones are placed in front of a panoramic window.

Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Snøhetta’s founder, said: "Under is a natural progression of our experimentation with boundaries. Under proposes unexpected combinations of pronouns and prepositions, and challenges what determines a person’s physical placement in their environment. In this building, you may find yourself under water, over the seabed, between land and sea.

"This will offer you new perspectives and ways of seeing the world, both beyond and beneath the waterline".

Images courtesy of Snøhetta