The Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta ventured five meters below sea level for “Under” and created a unique hybrid of restaurant and research station. Europe’s first underwater restaurant is also the world’s largest.
Let’s look briefly at marine painting – the form of figurative art that depicts the sea as a leitmotif. Just imagine the storm and shipwreck motifs of those masterpieces. The naval parades, naval battles and open water landscapes under the open sky, which express the natural power of the sea.
Snøhetta’s latest project may have just as well served as a scenic template for those kinds of paintings. In Lindesnes, the southernmost point of the Norwegian coast, where ocean currents from north and south meet, a 34-meter-long building juts out of the Atlantic Ocean. What looks like a capsized ship in the distance is in fact Europe’s first underwater restaurant designed by Snøhetta.
The complex construction process of “Under” began as a concrete pipe shell on a barge, about 20 meters away from the current location. After completing the structural work, the water-filled building was sunk and bolted to a concrete slab anchored to the seabed.
Half sunk in the sea, the outer shell of “Under” is designed as an artificial reef, so that over time the structure fully integrates into the marine environment. Slightly arched concrete walls with a thickness of half a meter offer resistance to the harsh wave forces. Inside, people are welcomed by an oak-clad foyer before heading to a 40-seat dining room Like a sunken periscope, the massive eleven meter wide window in the restaurant overlooks the ocean floor. Muted lighting inside makes it easier to see the wildlife, and textile-clad panels allude to the colors of a sunset dropping into the ocean.
However, the futuristic building is not just a restaurant, but will also serve as a research center in the future. Cameras and measuring devices record every change to its outer surface.
Its culinary focus is to create a fine dining experience based on high quality, locally-sourced produce, with a special emphasis on sustainable wildlife capture. Diners can literally look out into the sea as they sample some of Europe’s best dishes. Danish chef, Nicolai Ellitsgaard heads up the international 16-person kitchen. “Fresh ingredients and pure, naked flavors are of utmost importance to us,” Ellitsgaard said. “At the same time, we want to provide a unique dining experience that ushers our guests beyond their current comfort zone.”
“Under is a natural progression of our experimentation with boundaries,” says Snøhetta founder and architect Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. “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.”
You can make reservations here.
Photography by IVAR KVAAL and Inger Marie Grini/Bo Bedre Norge via Snøhetta