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Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

author：Prefabricated building network

Source: ArchiDogs

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Recently, Norway's internet celebrity underwater restaurant Under has become popular.

According to a set of latest photos released by the designer Snøhetta, since its opening in 2019, in just three years, the 495-square-meter building has been covered with marine life, and the scene is very dreamy.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

"Under's design is designed to fully blend into its marine environment over time, and the roughness of the concrete shell allows it to act as an artificial reef where shellfish and kelp are welcome to inhabit it."

Now, we are all happy to see that this plan has become a reality and that nature has fully embraced and merged

Live in this building.

—Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founder and architect of Snøhetta

In the passage of time, it is not uncommon for nature to "invade" buildings and change their form. Time is a superb designer, and the art it shapes may be unattainable by human skilled craftsmen.

Authors | reachable

Editing | available

- 01 -

A grim wonderland at the end of the world

Underwater restaurants embraced by nature are even more "fairy"

Under is the first underwater restaurant in Europe, located at the southernmost tip of the Norwegian coastline. North-south storms meet here, and may experience several changes in a day from calm to wind and rain.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The underwater restaurant perfectly explains what a "cold wonderland at the end of the world" is: in the midst of violent nature, a calm and composed building can give people an inexplicable comfort.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The 34-meter-long restaurant is half leaning on the reef, half obliquely inserted into the icy water, and the bottom is supported on the 5-meter-deep seabed.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The huge windows of the restaurant are like a periscope, looking deep into the ocean. One can see the fluctuating waterline dancing with the intensity of the wind, the color of the sea changing from the sapphire blue of the harsh winter to the emerald green of the summer, the swimming fish, and the swaying seaweed.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The rough concrete shell has a similar function to artificial reefs, allowing both caps and seaweed in the ocean to inhabit them. Over time, Under will become more integrated into nature in a realistic sense. At the same time, due to the variety of marine life in this area, the restaurant also leaves some space for the Marine Biological Research Center.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

"Under Restaurant is the natural result of the border experiments we have done. As a new landmark in southern Norway, it showcases an unprecedented combination of pronouns and prepositions that challenge the necessary conditions for people to stay in the environment. In this building, you may find yourself underwater, on the ocean floor, or between land and sea, which will allow you to see the world in a whole new perspective and way, whether above or below the surface of the water.

—Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, founder and architect of Snøhetta

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

From the latest photos of the underwater restaurant, Snøhetta's original intention has been initially achieved – architecture and nature are integrated, becoming a common habitat for humans and other creatures.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

However, when it comes to environmental protection, netizens do not buy it:

How do you clean the windows?

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Did Snøhetta consider light pollution in nature?

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The question arises, why build restaurants underwater, in deserts, rainforests, and even in space? I am afraid that it is more environmentally friendly than making an artificial reef without destroying the original reef, right?

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

"Many people believe that for humans to really protect our nature better, more people need to understand it," the firm said.

I don't know if a fish would think that humans care about nature, after all, you can see through the window that humans are eating its kind.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The netizens' comments are not unreasonable, presumably Snøhetta himself knows that the gimmick of the restaurant's environmental protection is greater than the actual effect. But it is undeniable that the settlement of marine life has made the building visually integrated into nature, making the whole scene more immortal and more dreamy and moving.

In fact, there are many designs, which also underwent great changes in the early and late stages of construction - the "invasion" of nature gave the building a lot of color.

- 02 -

The "Growth" of the Xiangshan Campus of the Chinese Academy of Fine Arts

Time flowed, and everything became a landscape

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The Xiangshan Campus of China Academy of Art was designed by famous architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu (amateur architecture studio).

In 2007, photographer Iwan Baan documented the completed campus. Time has flown to 2021, photographer Zhao Sai used the original focal length lens to take photos of the same scene, in more than ten years, the greenery is lush, covered into a scene, and the building has its own life.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Source: 2007 ©iwan baan, 2021 © Migu Studio - Zhao Sai

In fact, Wang Shu's original design has a very oriental charm, but the years are babbling, and the bare building complex of the year is now full of greenery: time has given beautiful things a stronger and more vivid vitality.

- 03 -

Can Andersen's "fairy tales" be realized?

The human intervention ended here, and the design of time had just begun

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Although it is in China, the changes in the Xiangshan campus coincide with the concept of "negative architecture" by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

Kengo Kuma understands the harmonious coexistence of architecture and natural landscapes: respecting the site, weakening the contours and shapes of the building, so that it can be integrated into or even disappeared into the environment to the greatest extent.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Interestingly, however, Kengo Kuma's Andersen Museum in Denmark seems to be on a different track.

In the renderings published by the firm, the flowers are in full bloom, the trees are lined up, and the atmosphere is full of wonderland, which is very much in line with the theme of "fairy tales":

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

However, in September 2021, a set of pictures of the scene flowed out of the museum that was still under construction, which made people break into a cold sweat:

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Public opinion spread that Party A was short of funds, the lush trees were gone, the green and thin saplings were replaced, and the fairyland atmosphere was lost, and many netizens sighed that "fairy tales are all deceitful".

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Fortunately, after the completion of the museum this year, the effect is not too bad. Although there is no sense of fairy tales in a fairyland, it is also a beautiful design when the lights are bright and the filters are tuned.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The daytime photos are still slightly inferior:

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

In fact, the main body of the building has been 99% restored, but the plants are still not lush enough. But the human intervention ended here, and since time is also a master of design, in a few years, the fantasy wonderland of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale may really come.

- 04 -

A bridge of spring, summer, autumn and winter

There is no "final rendering" design

In addition to building a house and leaving it to time, there is also a way to build it that brings it closer to nature.

For decades, Professor Ferdinand Ludwig has been designing "growing buildings".

In the past, we often distinguished cities from landscapes.

For example, in the middle of the city there are usually a lot of houses,

On the outskirts of the city are open woodlands and so on;

And then we had some movement and progress,

Some landscapes (such as parks, boulevards) began to spread to the center of the city;

But now we're encountering these ambiguous things more and more,

We bring together houses, buildings, trees, and more. ”

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

In 2005, Professor Ludwig designed an "ecological pedestrian bridge".

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The pedestrian bridge has a very simple structure – willow branches. Because when you cut down willow branches and put them back in the moist soil, they are able to take root again.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

It also uses a very simple connection technology – bundling. First, the willow branches are bundled together as the main load-bearing elements, then the stainless steel handrail platform is placed, and finally it is integrated into these bundles to allow the willow branches to grow.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

It's not just a symbolic work, people can really walk on it.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

After the entire construction is complete, time comes out. The seasons come and go, and every day the Willow Bridge is a different look:

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Over time, the willow tree continues to grow, but does not disturb the main geometry.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Of course, it also needs to be pruned by horticulturists, but humans do not dominate its morphology.

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Professor Ludwig's other works have also been pursuing the concept of "allowing architecture to grow freely and using time to construct art".

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

The design and study of living plant architecture (Baubotanik), although there is a "final rendering", there will never be a "final image", because it contains concrete, contains trees, contains vast, ever-growing nature.

-

Time has been carving our world

Rotation of seasons River rises and falls, grass and trees grow

Human power is ultimately limited

But nature's creativity is endless

Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland
Snøhetta's underwater restaurant is covered with seaweed! Let time do the design, and the building "grows" into a wonderland

Underwater Restaurant, Elephant Hill Campus, Hans Christian Andersen Museum, Willow Bridge...

The "completion" of these buildings

Just a new beginning

Time will rewrite their faces

Nature will give them new life

A building is completed

That's the end of human intervention

And the design of time has only just begun

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