flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

‘Under’ will be Europe’s first underwater restaurant

Retail Centers

‘Under’ will be Europe’s first underwater restaurant

The Snøhetta-designed restaurant will also function as a research center for marine life.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | October 25, 2017
Under resting on the seabed

Rendering courtesy of Snøhetta

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.

 

The large acrylic window in UnderRendering 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.

 

Half-submerged UnderRendering 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. 

 

Under's entranceRendering courtesy of Snøhetta.

 

Aerial view of UnderRendering courtesy of Snøhetta.

Related Stories

| Nov 25, 2013

Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'

"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.

| Nov 19, 2013

Top 10 green building products for 2014

Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list. 

| Nov 15, 2013

Greenbuild 2013 Report - BD+C Exclusive

The BD+C editorial team brings you this special report on the latest green building trends across nine key market sectors. 

| Nov 15, 2013

Metal makes its mark on interior spaces

Beyond its long-standing role as a preferred material for a building’s structure and roof, metal is making its mark on interior spaces as well. 

| Nov 13, 2013

Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study

The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.

| Oct 30, 2013

11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013

If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.

| Oct 28, 2013

Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it

Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.

| Oct 25, 2013

$3B Willets Points mixed-use development in New York wins City Council approval

The $3 billion Willets Points plan in New York City that will transform 23 acres into a mixed-use development has gained approval from the City Council.

| Oct 23, 2013

Gehry, Foster join Battersea Power Station redevelopment

Norman Foster and Frank Gehry have been selected to design a retail section within the £8 billion redevelopment of Battersea Power Station in London.

| Oct 18, 2013

Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal

When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021