‘Energy positive’ Arctic hotel defies belief

If this groundbreaking hotel above the Arctic Circle ends up being built, it’ll be a world first.

And a stunning one at that.

The incredible, ring-shaped hotel its creators are calling “Svart”, will be the first hotel in a northern climate to be awarded the ‘energy positive’ Powerhouse standard, enshrining it as one of the most efficient buildings in the world.

The hotel, which would be built at the foot of the Svartisen glacier in northern Norway, is predicted to consume 85% less energy than a regular hotel, as well as producing its own energy.

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Designed by architects Snohetta, the future building is being touted as the first of its kind to achieve the Powerhouse standard, as well as being the world’s northernmost Powerhouse building.

The hotel will harness the sun to meet its energy needs.

And then there are those views.

The building’s circular body extends from the shoreline and into the Holandsfjorden fjord, where wooden support poles reach several metres below the surface of the freezing water.

Those same wooden poles have been designed to double as a boardwalk on which guests can take a stroll in summer, as well as a place to store boats and kayaks.

The hotel’s wooden support poles are designed to minimise the environmental impact.

And in keeping with the environmentally conscious ideal, there’ll be no access to the hotel area by car.

“The precious nature surrounding the hotel can only be accessed by boat and there are plans to introduce an energy neutral boat shuttle from the city of Bodø to the hotel,” the company says.

The ringed design allows all rooms to best use the sun’s energy.

To make the hotel ‘energy positive’, the designers used the circular design to give all rooms and amenities the best access to sunlight, while the roof is covered in solar panels.

“The hotel also uses geothermal wells that are connected to heat pumps. These are used to heat the building, thus reducing the building’s total energy consumption,” Snohetta says.