ARCTIC CIRCLE
Pristine scenery, striking architecture and the promise of adventure – no wonder travellers are making the trek far north
IN THE FACE OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS, SNØHETTA HAS REVEALED PLANS FOR THE FIRST ENERGY POSITIVE HOTEL
The irresistible pull of going off-grid has travellers swapping sand for snow in increasing numbers. Touted as ‘the new exotic’, this region, which encompasses the northernmost territories of Norway, Sweden and Finland, plus swathes of Russia, Canada, Alaska and Greenland, is a trending destination in experiential tourism. The industry is taking heed; adventure holiday advocate Scott Dunn is sailing 45 per cent more boats to polar regions this year, while new Scandi projects offer compelling reasons for visiting its most accessible areas.
Several innovations in arctic accommodation have appeared over the last 18 months. There’s new floating wellness retreat Arctic Bath in Sweden’s northernmost reaches; Octola, the first five-star lodge in Finnish Lapland, set within 740 acres of private wilderness, and Manshausen 2.0, comprising three aluminium-clad eco cabins on stilts in Norway’s Barents Sea. This year also sees a decade-long project by Oslo-originating design practice Snøhetta come to fruition, when the serpentine Lofoten Opera Hotel opens as part of an 11,000-square-metre complex of apartments, an amphitheatre and spa. Other architectural efforts are educational – take The Whale by Danish practice Dorte Mandrup, dedicated to watching the majestic creatures, or The Arc, a new centre for the Svalbard global seed-storage facility that will allow visitors digital access to this archive of nature.
But arctic travel is a notion not without controversy; coined ‘lastchance tourism’, the curiosity this landscape inspires in the face of the climate crisis is driving potentially damaging migration. With this in mind, Snøhetta has revealed plans for the world’s first energy positive hotel, pledging that all new buildings will follow suit within 20 years. Set to open next year at the base of Norway’s Almlifjellet mountain, Svart hotel will harvest solar energy and reduce consumption by 85 per cent compared to other modern hotels, marking a new frontier for sustainable travel in the process.