by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 9:00 AM ET, Tue February 20, 2018
As the Arctic opens up more and more to tourism, one of the pressing concerns moving forward will be how to accommodate visitors without harming the destination's fragile environment.
At least one hotel is seeking to address that concern head-on.
The Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta has released designs for a first-of-its-kind, energy-positive hotel in the Arctic Circle.
The novel property, named Svart in reference to its future location at the foot of Norway's Svartisen glacier, was developed in collaboration with Arctic Adventures of Norway, Asplan Viak and Skanska.
Svart will generate more renewable energy than it consumes thanks in large part to the Arctic's 24-hours of sunlight during the summer and the property's many unique design features. The eco-friendly hotel will include such things as rooftop solar panels to produce energy, geothermal wells to generate heat and an architectural design optimized to reduce consumption.
Not only do all of these factors minimize the building's yearly energy use by approximately 85 percent compared to a modern hotel, but Svart, which will be the world's northernmost Powerhouse building, also produces its own energy. Snohetta described this feature as an absolute must in the precious Arctic environment.
"Nature in the Arctic is fragile and pristine," Snohetta project manager Zenul Khan said in a statement, according to Architectural Digest. "We have to respect the beauty of the location and not ruin what makes Svartisen an attraction in the first place."
The circular, wooden hotel will be constructed atop poles that create an extension of the Holandsfjord shoreline, ensuring that the building physically places a minimal footprint on the site. Its design is a nod to summer homes built by local fishermen as well as fish-drying structures found in the area. The finished property will float above a summer boardwalk and allow for paddling to take place below.
In order to achieve the Powerhouse status, a variety of cutting-edge design choices were incorporated into the hotel plans, according to the Snohetta website. Architects performed extensive mapping of how solar radiation behaves in the mountainous environment where the property is to be located in order to optimize the harvest of energy.
The knowledge gathered during that study contributed to the decision to create a circular hotel structure where hotel rooms, restaurants and terraces are strategically placed to exploit the sun's energy throughout the day and seasons.
"Building an energy positive and low-impact hotel is an essential factor to create a sustainable tourist destination respecting the unique features of the plot; the rare plant species, the clean waters and the blue ice of the Svartisen glacier," Snohetta founding partner Kjetil Trædal Thorsen said in a statement on the company's website.
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In addition to keeping its environmental footprint to a minimum, the circular building showcases its stunning location by providing guests with panoramic views of the fjord and an experience of living in close proximity to nature.
Khan said the goal was "to encourage a more sustainable approach to tourism" while also "making our society conscious and aware of the way we live, travel, and experience exotic locations responsibly."
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