Now this is waking up in paradise!
Imagine embarking on a path through the deepest nature of Norway . Imagine ending up exhausted, but the goal is even better than the journey. Imagine sleep with a view of one of the glaciers most extraordinary in Europe. Snøhetta has made our dreams come true again, this time with Tungestølen cabins.
The popular architecture studio has ventured into a project that promises travelers one of the best experiences of their lives. This cluster of cabins is specially designed for those tourists who love nature , of the rural, of the land.
ARCHITECTURE AS A CURE
Behind what may appear to be just another construction, there is a story that makes up the true identity of this hiker's sanctuary. The original cabin had served as a refuge for walkers for more than a century . Nevertheless, on Christmas 2011 it was destroyed by Cyclone Dagmar.
Norway, its nature and you... You don't need anything else.
Willing not to leave without a meeting point the faithful mountaineers who flocked to the Jostedalsbreen glacier every year, Luster Turlag, a local branch of the Norwegian National Trekking Association, and the village of Veitastrond , decided to get down to work with the restructuring of the acclaimed temple.
they created an international architectural competition for the reconstruction from Tungestølen and Snøhetta's studio won it in 2015. “The idea was give back to the local community a much loved cabin ”, says Anne Cecilie Haug, project manager.
LISTEN TO MOTHER NATURE
In this way, the studio introduced Tungestølen's new personality, composed of nine robust cabins , of which there are built at the moment, four of them. This time, considering its grim past, the booths are prepared for any mishap.
But this has nothing to do with an open fight against nature, quite the contrary. These cabins are created in your image and likeness , almost like a gift to it. Anne Cecilie Haug says about this new idea that “architecture should not be the main feature of the site. Architecture must always be subservient to nature”.
Tungestølen was born to give a new life to what was one of the most important meeting points for hikers.
This is due its peculiar pentagonal and oblique shape . Its outer walls are peaked to be able to curb the strong winds that may come from the valley , and the materials of its construction are based on sheets of glue, covered with laminated wood and mineral pine clad.
SLEEP IN PARADISE
Inside, everything changes. Large windows that put the focus on the Norwegian mountains , crowned by the Jostedalsbreen glacier , whose early light will be responsible for wake up travelers who sleep in this idyllic space (at least, if the landscape doesn't keep you up at night).
in the main cabin is the lounge, for social gatherings between hikers , presided over by a large fireplace to spend the coldest days. The rest comprises the bedrooms, in smaller individual units. Equally, can accommodate approximately 30 visitors, which will become 50 when construction is complete.
Despite the splendor it gives off, it is impossible not to feel the size of an ant between the imposing mountain ranges of Norway. Once in Tungestølen , you will realize that few things can match the awakening at the feet of nature.
In the vastness of the Norwegian mountains, it is impossible not to feel small.