“Svart”酒店丨挪威丨Snøhetta

Snøhetta unveils “Svart”, the Arctic Circle's first energy-positive hotel

Snøhetta's concept for the “Svart” hotel in Norway. Rendering © Snøhetta/Plompmozes.

Snøhetta

is coming out with plenty of debatable designs as of late. Most recently, they revealed their concept for “Svart”, described as the Arctic Circle's first Powerhouse-standard, energy-positive hotel. Designed for the tourism company, the Arctic Adventure of Norway, the hotel's name refers to its proposed location at the foot of the Svartisen glacier in Meløy of northern Norway. Svart is also a tribute to the glacier's deep blue ice.

Located in the arctic environment where natural preservation is key, the circular hotel reduces its yearly energy consumption by approximately 85 percent and produces its own energy. Inspired by local vernacular architecture, Svart's design is based on the “fiskehjell” (an A-shaped wooden structure for drying fish) and the “rorbue” (a traditional seasonal house used by fisherman).

Rendering © Snøhetta/Plompmozes.

Rendering © Snøhetta/Plompmozes.

In reference to the rorbue, the hotel's supporting structure is built from weatherproof wooden poles that stretch several meters below the surface of the Holandsfjorden fjord. The poles ensure the building maintains a minimal footprint and gives the building “an almost transparent appearance”, Snøhetta describes.

The poles also function as a wooden boardwalk on which visitors can stroll during the summer. In the winter, the boardwalk can store boats and kayaks, reducing the need for garages. There are also current plans to create an energy-neutral boat shuttle from the city of Bodø to the hotel.

Rendering © Snøhetta/Plompmozes.

Rendering © Snøhetta/Plompmozes.

Snøhetta mapped out solar radiation patterns in a mountainous context throughout the year to figure out how to optimize the harvesting of solar energy — which greatly contributed to the hotel's circular form and the strategic placement of the hotel rooms, restaurants, and terraces.

Rendering © Snøhetta/Plompmozes.

The hotel's roof is clad in Norwegian solar panels produced with clean hydro energy, while its facades protect against insolation during the summer to eliminate the need for artificial cooling. In winter, when the sun remains low in the sky, the facade's large windows allow for maximum insolation. For heating, the hotel uses geothermal wells that are connected to heat pumps.