In Norway, at the foot of the Svartisen glacier, the world's first hotel that will generate its own energy is being built. The Snøhetta architectural firm calls this concept a "powerhouse."
The hotel's energy consumption will be reduced by as much as 85% compared to that of any modern hotel. Furthermore, the hotel will generate its own energy, a necessity given the fragile Arctic environment. It will be the northernmost building in the world to be built using this concept.
The designers are confident that the hotel's environmental impact will be minimized, and the project will preserve the unique landscape, rare flora, and purity of the fjord, and, equally important, will not harm the nearby Svartisen glacier.
The hotel will be a ring-shaped structure perched directly above the waters of Hollandsfjord, supported by numerous stilts extending into the water. This will allow the rooms to enjoy incredible views of the surrounding area, allowing guests to admire it literally from their beds. The design is inspired by traditional buildings of Northern Norway: the drying sheds where fishermen have been drying cod for decades, and the rorbu fishermen's cabins, or rorbu, built on stilts directly in the water. The hotel owners also plan to launch an eco-friendly boat service connecting the hotel with the nearest major Norwegian city, Bodø.
In search of optimal technological solutions, the project's engineers conducted studies measuring the light levels in the area where construction will take place. The building's shape is determined by these studies, as is the arrangement of the rooms, restaurants, and terraces. Solar panels will be installed on the roof, generating significant amounts of energy during the summer, when the sun barely sets in northern Norway.
The hotel is planned to open in 2021.
Source: trn-news.ru