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Arctic Lodge Resort

A hotel and activity complex in a challenging Arctic climate

Architecture

Lapland, Finland

Area: 1350m2

The Davvi Arctic Lodge Resort in Northern Finland comprises a hotel and activity centre. Our brief was to create a unique hospitality experience by refurbishing the existing building and enhancing the guest experience with additional facilities developed on newly acquired land. The unique location for the resort, close to a large forest, provides visitors with an unforgettable adventure into the wild, celebrating Sami heritage with husky and reindeer safaris, skiing, trekking and fishing in nearby rivers.

En cours...

We created a new masterplan for the resort, linking separate sites together to provide unity and cohesion and improve its setting within the landscape. Individual buildings have been developed to retain charm and character and to clearly delineate between old and new.

Cabin apartments have been designed to sit sympathetically within the surrounding natural context and maximise opportunities to showcase the varying qualities of the landscape at different times of the year. The interiors feature carefully selected, locally-sourced materials, appropriate for construction and maintenance in this climate. The isolated site presented several design challenges including changes in ground levels created by snowfall at different times of the year and the fact that construction was only possible during the four months of the year when the ground was not frozen.

A new sauna features natural materials and celebrates a connection to the environment. A wooden façade folds to wrap the entire building and references local culture, taking its inspiration from traditional Sami textiles.

Sustainability and energy efficiency were key considerations throughout the design with robust materials chosen for their thermal properties. The new activity centre sees a succession of spaces individually designed according to thermal needs, a design strategy which enables the separation of internal and external spaces with smart transitions between the two, helping to lower energy consumption.

Circulation has been rationalised to delineate private and public areas and a wayfinding strategy has been designed to improve visitor orientation within snowy surroundings.