Hanging out in the wind and waves
Arctic explorer’s resort cabins protrude over cliffs for a full-on nature experience
It has views of skies offering both the northern lights and seasonal, 24hour sunshine. The modern cabins of the Manshausen Island Resort are the perfect place to absorb the gloriously rugged natural beauty alongside the Barents Sea and Lofoten mountain range in the Steigen Archipelago off the coast of northern Norway.
The exploration and adventure resort is a retreat to experience trekking, kayaking, canoeing, diving, fishing, climbing and just relaxing. It’s also the spot to see the world’s largest collection of sea eagles.
“My ambition was to share this wonderful place with others, give them a good feeling so they could be close to nature and very comfortable in it at the same time,” says owner and Arctic explorer, Borge Ousland. “That’s why we made the huts overhanging the water.
“We’ve approved nine more huts and will develop one area of the island at the time. In addition we’re building a sauna, a trail in between the trees for kids, and a small football field. But we’ll keep it small, no more than 30 guests,”
Once a fishing trading post, it now houses four modern cabins and a restored farmhouse. Three of the cabins protrude over the water; the fourth points north to the mountains. Each has two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and an enclosed porch. A bookshelf wall separating the kitchen and main bedroom folds down and acts as a table and bench. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the scenery. Each unit measures 344 square feet.
The cabins are built with a thick inner layer of pine, with an outer layer of untreated wood that naturally turns silver-grey. Cabins were prefabricated off-site, then taken by boat to the island and assembled in a process that took two years.
Architect Snorre Stinessen of Stinessin Arkitetkur answered a few questions about Manshausen Island Resort. What elements of the area had to be considered?
It’s a coastal climate with sun 24 hours a day in the summer and then no daylight for several months. We can have fairly rough weather in the winter with significant winds, blizzards and rainfall. What sets it apart from Canada is we have a Gulf Stream coming up the coast so most of the water is ice-free during the winter. Because of that, visitors can be close to the elements. We decided to expose visitors to nature as much as we could but keep them comfortable by cantilevering the cabins. We studied winds, waves and tides to make sure the cabins were at a safe distance. What about privacy? Each of these cabins has a spectacular view . . . we oriented them at different angles so guests couldn’t look into each other’s cabins. How are the prefab units anchored?
They’re sitting on top of the rock formations, or the stone quay. We made a concrete foundation, first, which is very basic. Then we have steel beams calculated to take the weight of the cantilevering and the other forces coming into play.
“My ambition was to share this wonderful place with others, give them a good feeling, so they could be close to nature and very comfortable in it at the same time.” BØRGE OUSLAND OWNER, MANSHAUSEN ISLAND RESORT
Explain some of the challenges.
It’s a challenge to build on an island where you have to transport everything. We had a small crane, but many things had to be solved by hand. How do visitors sleep during months of 24-hour sunshine?
We have special blinds for the windows and for the bedrooms. To get 100 per cent darkness anywhere in Norway in the summertime is difficult; it’s part of the experience, I guess.