EUROPE'S FIRST UNDERWATER
RESTAURANT OPENS
[in Norway; 21mar2019]
FROM; CNN STYLE; Architecture; updated
21st March 2019 Written by Jacopo Prisco.
Access RAS 291-04-14
Photo 01/40: Under, Europe's first underwater restaurant, is
now open in the small town of Båly, overlooking the Skagerrak strait, in the
southernmost area of Norway.Snohetta
Five meters below the surface of the North Sea, near the
southernmost tip of Norway, Europe's first underwater restaurant is now
complete. The 110-foot long structure, an oblique concrete slab that looks like
a sunken periscope, was submerged in July 2018 and welcomed the first guests on
March 20.
The restaurant, called Under, is the design of Norwegian
outfit Snøhetta,
which has made a name for itself with projects such as the Bibliotheca
Alexandrina in Egypt, the Oslo Opera House, the National September 11 Memorial Pavilion and the renovation
of Times Square in New York.
Under sits up to 40 guests, protected by concrete walls half
a meter (1.6 feet) thick, and has a total internal area of about 500 square
meters (5,300 square feet) set over three levels, offering unique underwater
views of the surrounding marine environment through a 11-meter (36 feet) wide
panoramic window.
"Under is a natural progression of our experimentation
with boundaries," Snøhetta founder, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, said in a
statement. "As a new landmark for Southern Norway, Under proposes
unexpected combinations of pronouns and prepositions, and challenges what
determines a person's physical placement in their environment. In this
building, you may find yourself under water, over the seabed, between land and
sea. This will offer you new perspectives and ways of seeing the world, both
beyond and beneath the waterline".
HOW UNDER WENT UNDER
The restaurant was built in about six months on a barge near
the coast, then towed into position -- about 600 feet away -- with a heavy-lift
vessel. To submerge the structure, containers filled with water were placed
inside, before securing it to the sea floor with a total of 18 anchoring
points.
"It was a delicate operation, as the clearance to meet
the bolts was just two inches," Rune Grasdal, a senior architect at Snøhetta,
said in a phone interview.
More than half of the structure is submerged, and guests
gain access through a glass walkway that will bridge the gap between the coast
and the entrance, which is at shore level.
Under is made of reinforced concrete, to withstand the harsh
conditions found in this spot of the Norwegian coastline. "The first
problem is water pressure, as we're five meters (16 feet) below the surface,
but the biggest challenge is the waves. Wind and waves are extreme here. To
withstand all these forces, the building is slightly curved, so it can better
take to the waves, and it's thick: half a meter (1.6 feet) for the concrete and
about 30 centimeters (1 foot) for the acrylic windows," said Grasdal.
A SIMPLE DESIGN
The decision to position the restaurant in an area battered
by the elements was deliberate. "When the client came to us, they had
already done some sketches on another site close to current one, but we
convinced them to build a few hundred meters away, where the sea is actually
rougher. We thought this would better capture the nature of the area and I
think that's also what makes this more spectacular compared to other underwater
restaurants in the world, as they are in very controlled areas," said Grasdal.
The client, developers Gaute and Stig Ubostad, also operates
a hotel a short distance from the restaurant. They both sit in the Lindesnes
region, home to Norway's oldest lighthouse, a popular tourist attraction
located at the southernmost tip of of the mainland. Getting here isn't too
easy: the best way is to hop on a short flight from Oslo to Kristiansand, the
closest airport, which is about an hour's drive away. Grasdal said that a boat
service is in the works.
The design of the structure was also subject to several
revisions. "Initially, we spent a lot of time on very complicated designs,
but after a long discussion and many different models we ended up doing things
in a much simpler way. It's just a concrete tube that brings people from the
land down to the sea, it's so simple. When we reached that conclusion, it was a
actually relief," said Grasdal.
A LIGHT TOUCH
To guarantee the safety of the guests, an analysis has been
performed to study the propagation and load of the waves, and the 2,500-ton
structure is designed to withstand the most extreme events. The data will also
be fed back to visiting research teams that study marine biology and fish
behavior. Work has been done to restore the conditions that were in place prior
to the disturbance created by submerging the structure, and the concrete shell
is designed to invite mussels to cling onto it and blend into the surrounding
nature.
The tasting menu, created by Danish head chef Nicolai
Ellitsgaard Pedersen, relies heavily on local seafood, although mushrooms,
berries, various seabirds and wild sheep from the surrounding landscape will also be on
offer.
From the main window in the dining area, which is 4 meters
(13 feet) tall, guests will be able to observe a variety of fish and sea
creatures including seals and lobsters. Crucial to this view is the lighting,
which has been carefully designed for both the interior and the sandbank just
outside. "Outside lighting is very important because in the wintertime and
in the evenings it will be dark, and without any light you would just see the
reflection of the restaurant on the window," said Grasdal.
Interior lighting is muted and discreet to avoid such
reflections, and colors are chosen accordingly, with oak wood and fabric
covering the walls to avoid glaring white spots.
"It's a magic feeling to be down in a big room like
this and see out into the sea through the huge window And what's surprising is
that some of the renderings we did illustrate very closely what it's going to
be like," said Grasdal.
The restaurant is accepting
reservations starting in April through September 2019, but has proven
so popular that only waiting list spots are available. According to Grasdal,
the best way to plan a visit is to look at the weather forecast. "I think
the most exciting experience will be visiting the restaurant during rough
weather," he said.
"It will be fantastic to see the sea surface broken up
by the big waves and the rain, making for a very dramatic view -- although you
will still feel safe and relaxed inside the restaurant."
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