Ever seen an ice sculpture, ever seen an ice castle, ever seen an ice hotel?
Built in 1989 in the town of Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden, Ice Hotel is the world's first and largest snow-covered hotel, just 200 km from the Arctic Circle.
Jukkasjärvi, a small town in northern Sweden
Every year around March, the local area starts stockpiling 10,000 tons of ice and 30,000 tons of snow, and it is not until November that the construction of hotels begins. When the weather warms up at the end of April of the following year, the hotel melts, and the melting water returns to the arms of the Torne River, completing a cycle.
Ice Hotel entrance
More than 50,000 people visit every year, and everyone who has been there is cold and unable to sleep. However, it is such a flashy handicraft hotel, or often can not book a room.
It started unintentionally
THE STORY OF
ICE HOTEL
Speaking of the history of the igloo, it dates back to 1989, when designer Yngve Bergqvist, inspired by traditional ice sculptures during the boring and long winter, invited artists to hold ice workshops, built galleries, church prayer rooms and film galleries, and initially just enjoyed movies and carnivals in it.
Ice hotel founder Yngve Bergqvist
Until one day, a guest asked to stay one night in the igloo, which did not have a living space at that time, and the guest just spent a night in the exhibition hall.
▲ Art Suite | You are my dish (YOU ARE MY TYPE), designed by Charli Kasselbäck and John Bark
Yngve Bergqvist prepared deerskin and sleeping bags for him to keep warm, and the igloo experience was well received by guests. So the Igloo Hotel was born, and Yngve Bergqvist naturally became ceo of the ice hotel.
▲Art Suite | Victorian Apartment, designed by Luca Roncoroni
The latest themed igloo
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
THE LATEST ICE ROOM
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Every year the Ice Hotel introduces a new themed igloo. As of this year, there are 33 themed igloos. This year's latest igloo theme is A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Inspired by the Swedish "summer solstice", this themed igloo was designed by Bernadotte & Kylberg.
Carl Philip Bernadotte and Oscar Kylberg say: "We have created a time-frozen space for guests to experience the height of summer. ”
Bernadotte & Kylberg places flowers and plants in ice cubes to make walls and furniture.
The bed is individually enclosed by ice cubes, with the ice bricks below dominated by mixed floral decorations, while the upper ice bricks are dominated by birch leaves, adding to the natural charm of midsummer.
The interior lights are also carefully designed, with ring chandeliers, like angels' garlands, floating in the air.
In addition to these exquisite interior designs, Bernadotte & Kylberg simulated natural sounds and violin playing soundtracks in the room, helping to enhance the customer experience.
All seasons hotel
ICE HOTEL 365
After 2016, the hotel has built a partially permanent structure so that she will not disappear in the summer, also known as Ice hotel365 (all-season hotel), open to the public all year round.
It is a permanent structure with a total area of 2,100 square meters, designed by Swedish architect Hans Eek. There are snow suites, ice bars, ice lounges, etc., some of which have luxurious suites with saunas, bathrooms and leisure facilities.
Hotel lobby
Ice Sculpture Exhibition Design: MARJOLEIN VONK & MAURIZIO PERRON
Ice Bar Design: LUC VOISIN & MATHIEU BRISON
Ice and snow auditorium
The ice cubes used to build the hotel all came from the Tornne River. Since 1989, ICEHOTEL has been reborn with a new look every year, initially only built and opened in the winter, storing ice in the spring, building in the winter, melting the ice the following summer and returning to the Tornne River, and so on.
Unique building materials and forms of creation attract artists and designers from all over the world to form an annual ice and snow event.
Designers and architects spray snow on large steel structures and wait for the natural ice to freeze. After the entire structure was fully secured, the original steel frame was removed, leaving a separate ice and snow maze, and dividing the corridor, living room and dining room inside.
The roof is covered with light energy panels that can be insulated under the plants, and the roof has built-in refrigeration pipes.
From May to July each year, the almost constant daylight provides it with sufficient cooling energy, keeping the indoor temperature constant at minus 5 degrees Celsius and not melting even in summer.
Each room is equipped with ice sculptures and furniture hand-carved by international artists.
Reindeer skins are draped on each bed and guests sleep in a warm sleeping bag on the bed. Even so, the room was still cold, and according to those who experienced it, they didn't even want to go to the bathroom at night.
Ice Hotel Theme Room Award
THE ROOM OF
In chronological order from new to old, we have listed some of the theme rooms, including of course the stories behind each theme.
PS: Pay attention to the time, after all, some of the theme igloos will return to the Tornne River in April!
# BLUE HOUSES
ICEHOTEL 365
Design: Johan Kauppi & Nina Kauppi
Opening hours: All year round
# BLUE TUNDRA
ICEHOTEL 32
Design: ELISABETH KRISTENSEN
Opening hours: 2021.12 - 2022.4
# Cabinet in the Woods
Design: HUGH & HOWARD MILLER
# Crescent
Design: IDA MANGSBO & ELIN JULIN
With an urge to explore nature and its deep elements, you set foot in an unknown and ephemeral land. In front of you, is a winding path lined with huge ice crescents, varying in height and proportion. It's like being pulled by gravity and you're drawn in, the wavy channel changes your perception with each step until the journey ends in front of the bed.
DANCERS IN THE DARK
Design: TJÅSA GUSFORS & PATRICK DALLARD
Dancers in the dark are all choosing a bright and positive path to survival. The artist wanted to design a suite full of positive energy, creating a sensory space that conveys a sense of well-being to guests. "We will continue to dance in the dark, chasing sparks..."
# DICKENSIAN STREET
Design: JONATHAN GREEN & MARNIE GREEN
# Different Natures
Design: ROBERT HARDING & TIMSAM HARDING
DREAMING IN A DREAM
Design: KESTUTIS MUSTEIKIS & VYTAUTAS MUSTEIKIS
As you walk through the suite, you hear the sudden arrival of the storm and the appearance of all sorts of creatures, ready to share their stories with you. One of them is a fantasy creature that weighs 350 kilograms but is very kind.
When you get back to bed, the storm has passed and you can go to sleep. The creatures in the room silently guard your safety.
# EARLY SPRING
Design: NANDO ALVAREZ & LILIYA POBORNIKOVA
The moment the first buds burst out, the first drops of water dripped from the melting ice. The breeze blows through the clouds and a new life begins. Inspired by natural elements, the artist explores through a brief but soft material of ice and snow.
# Traces of The Ancients (GINNUNGAGAP)
Design: ONOMIAU
# Great GATSBY
Design: TOMASZ CZAJKOWSKI & TOMASZ JASTRZEBSKI
# Hang LOOSE )
设计:EDITH VAN DE WETERING & WILFRED STIJGER
Walk into the gallery and see paintings and sculptures that show the choices we face in life, or the outcomes of letting things go.
# KODEX MAXIMUS
Design: JULIA GAMBORG NIELSEN & LOTTA LAMPA
# LOST & FOUND
Design: JENS THOMS IVARSSON & PETRI TUOMINEN
# No PRESSURE
Design: CARL WELLANDER & KLARA WELLANDER
# AIR
Design: MARJOLEIN VONK & MAURIZIO PERRON
# Raindrop Prelude
Design: THOMASZ CZAJKOWSKI & ERYK MARKS
# ROOM SERVICE
Design: TJÅSA GUSFORS & ULRIKA TALLVING
# Sauna (SAUNA)
Design: LUCA RONCORONI
TO BED with the Chickens
We've had chickens in recent years, and it's fun to watch them sleep. They chirped before going to bed, as if chatting about what had happened that day, and each chicken wanted to find a comfortable place to sleep. This inspired us to design a room with chickens. The phrase 'go to bed with the chicken' means to go to bed early, which is a good choice in winter.
# TOYBOX )
Design: WOUTER BIEGELAAR & VIKTOR TSARSKI
Welcome to the frozen world, full of toys that awaken children's hearts. Lie in bed and let yourself fall asleep to the melody of the background music "Twinkling Stars". Above the bed, a giant rabbit created by snow guards it all night. The rabbit's ears weigh 75 kg each.
In the room, you can also make friends with a four-meter-tall giraffe or play with rockets made of ice. Both artists work on toy design, and they created the room as a tribute to their own children.
# Ultraviolet (UV)
Design: NICOLAS TRIBOULOT & FERNAND MANZI
Ultraviolet light is a window that opens the invisible world, opens the infinite small world, also opens the vast world, opens the secret world where the real and the mysterious collide. What we think we see, and not necessarily real, is that the UV is an architectural scheme that is deformed according to the viewer's point of view, that it is mobile, elusive, and a reflection of our paradoxical world.
Ultraviolet light, let us see things beyond reality. It also reminds us that our world is fragile and that what we cannot see is as important and important as what we can see.
# You are here
Design: ELISABETH KRISTENSEN & DAVE RUANE
In addition to living in a dreamlike igloo and watching the beautiful Aurora Borealis, the hotel also offers a number of activities including Arctic Yoga, Nordic skiing and polar sports. In addition, the hotel offers a creative snow park for children where they can use their imagination and make their own ice and snow art.