Norwegian architect Snøhetta has revealed designs for a round, energy-neutral hotel within Norway’s Arctic Circle.
Snøhetta will work with Swedish contractor Skanska, Norwegian consultant engineer Asplan Viak and Arctic Adventures of Norway on the the "Svart" hotel. "Svart" translates to "black" in Norwegian, with the name also referencing the ice of the Svartisen, the glacier where the hotel is located.
The hotel’s design was inspired by local architecture in the form of the "fiskehjell", a wooden structure for drying fish, and the "rorbue", a traditional house used by fishermen which are built partially over water with poles holding up its ends. The hotel has a supporting structure similar to a rorbue, with weather-resistant wooden poles stretching several metres below the surface of the fjord.
The hotel will be fitted with photovoltaic panels, and Snøhetta mapped how solar radiation behaves in relation to the mountains overlooking the hotel to optimise their effect.
Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Snøhetta founding partner, said: "Building in such a precious environment comes with some clear obligations in terms of preserving the natural beauty and the fauna and flora of the site.
"It was important for us to design a sustainable building that would leave a minimal environmental footprint on this beautiful northern nature."
Images courtesy of Snøhetta
