Author
Field Mag
As far as architectural inspiration goes, you know we love a good A-Frame. Micro-cabins may be next on the lust-after list. Beyond owning a slice of paradise, the next best thing is a stay at a well-designed rental property or consciously created hotel. The the Juvet Landscape Hotel is perhaps the epitome of the later, an architectural masterpiece designed specifically to blend in with its surrounding environment, reflecting its natural beauty without intruding upon it.
Built on a nature reserve in Valldal, Norway, a remote northwestern region, topographic preservation was central to the project. Getting a green light from the country’s conservation authorities, architects Jensen & Skodvin chose to scatter the hotel footprint across a wide area, integrating multiple elevated structures (using 40mm steel rods) into the existing topography without rock blasting or altering the terrain in any lasting way.
This concept of dwelling distribution further eliminated the need to create large-scale foundations and other such invasive infrastructure, ensuring the natural terrain would remain as preserved as possible. As the Juvet Hotel’s literature deftly explains it, “conserving the site is a way to respect the fact that nature precede and succeeds man.”
With nine unique rooms in total, each offers floor to ceiling windows oriented in such a way that no two visitors will experience their surroundings the same. In this way privacy and a sense of isolation are achieved without the need for curtains or other view-inhibiting devices. Through this careful orientation, rooms get their own exclusive view of a beautiful and unique piece of the landscape, always changing with the season, the weather, and the time of day.
Even the sauna is epic, overlooking the bending river in the valley below. If that's not enough to seal the deal, you might be reading the wrong website, pal.
And yes, it is where much of Ex Machina was filmed. Sharp eye.
Published 01-07-2020
