The first underwater restaurant in Europe from Snøhetta

/ Architecture /

Underwater restaurant Under is the first in Europe. Architectural bureau Snøhetta announced the implementation of a rather unusual project on the coast of Norway.

The building, built near the village of Bola, is partially submerged in the sea. The exterior of the Under restaurant resembles a half-sunken military object: gray monolithic concrete, streamlined shapes. The rough textured surface is ideal for molluscs, which eventually form colonies on the underwater part of the building, turning it into an artificial reef.

Concept of underwater restaurant Under

Meter-thick walls and a panoramic window made of acrylic glass can withstand water pressure and storms that are frequent in the North Sea. Additional searchlights directed into the depths were installed on the seabed, and thanks to this illumination, visitors will be able to observe the amazing underwater life at any time of the day, as if they were in a research bathyscaphe. By the way, the building has separate premises for scientific research. And so that Under visitors do not harm the environment, signs with the route and information about the flora and fauna of the Norwegian coast will be installed along the paths leading to the entrance.

Concept of underwater restaurant Under

The name of the Under chef is already known. Dane Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen promises visitors a kitchen with a wide selection of dishes from local seafood - cod, mussels, and as a specialty "sea truffles" - a type of algae that tastes like a truffle.

The glowing window Under will serve as a lure for marine life. It is possible that one day, restaurant visitors will be able to solve the mystery of the mythical kraken.

The main hall of the restaurant can accommodate 80 people. The interior of the room is quite restrained: laconic wooden furniture, and the only decoration of the walls and ceiling is an installation made of gray-green origami imitating aquatic flora.

Concept of underwater restaurant Under

The massive gray block, as if it fell from the shore into the sea, does not look like a foreign body and organically fits into the harsh Norwegian landscape.

At the entrance to the building there is a small area for a summer cafe. The entrance group is finished with untreated oak. Sea salt air and moisture will very soon give it an aged look, and at the same time will serve as natural preservatives.

Two rocky capes seem to hug the building from both sides and serve as a natural protection of the building from storms and winter storms.