This Stunning Arctic Circle Hotel Is Also Energy Positive

Taking energy efficiency to the next level appears to be the goal of this “energy positive” hotel that’s set to be constructed within the Arctic Circle. Design firm Snøhetta teamed up with a few other Norwegian companies to create a vision for the hotel that’s energetic output will surpass the resources it consumes over the span of its 60-year lifetime.

To enable this particular form of sustainability, the ring-shaped building, dubbed Svart Hotel after a nearby glacier, will be outfitted with solar panels that enable its increased energetic production. Further solidifying its sustainable blueprint, designers estimate that the hotel will consume 85 percent less energy than its contemporary counterparts.

Treehugger sums up this type of “Powerhouse” structure, which is the third of its kind to come from Snøhetta:

“A Powerhouse shall during its lifetime produce more renewable energy than it uses for materials, production, operation, renovation and demolition,” the site notes.

As is commonplace with sustainable designs, the Svart Hotel’s post at the foot of Norway’s Almlifjellet mountain and the surrounding areas will remain as undisturbed as possible during the construction process, according to a statement offered by Snøhetta’s founding partner, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.

“Building in such a precious environment comes with clear obligations in terms of preserving the natural beauty and the fauna and flora of the site,” Thorsen said in a statement. “It was important for us to design a sustainable building that will leave a minimal environmental footprint on this beautiful northern nature.”

Additional design features include cleverly positioned recessed terraces that offer visitors respite from the summer sun and a boardwalk that also functions as a storage area for boats and kayaks. The circular structure will be supported by partially submerged wooden poles erected in the Holandsfjorden fjord.