A new restaurant from Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta looks like it sprang from the pages of a concept art book for James Cameron’s 1989 film The Abyss. ‘Under,’ which will become Europe’s first under water restaurant, will exist at the southernmost point of the Norwegian coastline by the village of Båly. In addition to being a restaurant Under will also function as a research center for marine life.
The restaurant and research center will be half-sunken into the sea. The exposed part will lie against the craggy shoreline while the underwater aspect of the building will become part of the marine environment and rest directly on the seabed five meters below the surface. Meter-thick concrete walls will provide protection against the pressure and shock of the rugged sea conditions and large acrylic windows will offer views of the seabed as it changes throughout the seasons and varying weather conditions.
Rendering courtesy of Snøhetta.
A path lined with informational plaques will lead guests to the restaurant’s entrance at the water’s edge. These plaques will tell a story about marine biodiversity and the Norwegian coast. The entrance to the restaurant is clad in untreated, locally sourced oak that will eventually fade into a grayish color.
From the entrance, guests will descend through three levels: the wardrobe area, the champagne bar, and the restaurant. At the champagne bar level, a narrow, vertical acrylic window showcases the transition between the shoreline and the ocean. Each level uses a color palette that reflects its surrounding location. The champagne bar is inspired by the surrounding coastal zone’s subdued colors of shells rocks and sand. Meanwhile, the dark blues and greens of the seabed, seaweed, and sea highlight the restaurant.
Rendering courtesy of Snøhetta.
Under can comfortably accommodate 80 to 100 guests and will use muted lighting inside the restaurant and on the exterior seabed to help view the sea life outside of the largest 11 X 4-meter panoramic acrylic window. The research teams studying marine biology and fish behavior will help create conditions on the seabed that will attract fish and shellfish to the area surrounding the restaurant. A coarse concrete shell encapsulates the entire building and encourages mussels to cling on. Over time, the submerged concrete building will function as an artificial mussel reef that rinses the sea and naturally attracts more marine life to the purified waters.
Rendering courtesy of Snøhetta.
Rendering courtesy of Snøhetta.
Related Stories
| Oct 27, 2014
Report estimates 1.2 million people experience LEED-certified retail centers daily
The "LEED In Motion: Retail" report includes USGBC’s conceptualization of the future of retail, emphasizing the economic and social benefit of green building for retailers of all sizes and types.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Sep 25, 2014
Bjarke Ingels headed home for latest project: Aarhus Island
Aarhus Island will be a waterside development in Denmark's second-largest city. The mixed-use development will implement Ingels' signature angled look in its residential towers.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
