BIG has unveiled design for a hotel room enclosed by 350 birdhouses in Harads, Sweden. 

Called Biosphere, the hotel room is designed for The Treehotel in Swedish Lapland, is known for its broad variety of cabins, with each cabin having a distinct identity that reacts differently with the forest.

The design is developed in close collaboration with Treehotel and Swedish ornithologist Ulf Öhman, BIG wraps the hotel room with small-scale wooden boxes that can accommodate 350 bird houses for the hotel. 

The 34-square-metre room is suspended in the Harads pines, BIG’s experiential design is the eighth hotel room on the property and seeks to enhance the surrounding biosphere.

"I got to spend a few days and nights in some of the Treehotel rooms right before the pandemic, and left with a sense of rejuvenation from complete immersion into nature," said BIG Founder & Creative Director, Bjarke Ingels.  

"I couldn’t help wondering if there was a way to take the immersion one step further – and almost instantly the idea of inviting not only the human visitors but also the resident bird and bat population to cohabit a spherical swarm of nests came to life." 

"After our first conversations with Ulf Öhman from Norrbotten Ornithological Association we were relieved to learn that birds don’t drop where they nest – so there is hope for the glass to remain clear within this cloud of aviary architecture," Ingels added.

BIG conceived the hotel room by devising an innovating façade system that can be house of bird nests, according to BIG, "the goal of Biosphere is to decrease the downward spiral of the bird population in the Swedish woods and instead strengthen the biosphere and natural habitat."

The hotel room will be accessed via a suspended bridge that slopes from the ground to the top of the trees. Covering a total of 34 square meters, the hotel room features rich dark interiors and organic materials. 

The use of materials is inspired by the surrounding landscape, which further serve to reinforce the visitors’ gaze outwards and to focus on the natural beauty of the surroundings.

"Inventories in Norrbotten County, carried out both by us as ornithologists and by the County Administrative Board, show that a number of different bird populations are decreasing. Forestry has led to a reduced number of natural holes in trees where breeding bird nests. The installation of bird nests is therefore an important measure to take," said Ulf Öhman, chairman of the Norrbotten Ornithological Association.

"Furthermore, climate change leads to the insect boom happening earlier in the year, and by the time the birds’ eggs hatch, the boom has already passed." 

"Feeding is an important support mechanism for the birds that stay in Northern Sweden and require food during winter. Demonstrating the use of bird nests and feeding, not just at the Treehotel but for people to install near their own homes, is valuable."

"An initiative from Treehotel to take such measures may inspire their visitors to do the same," Öhman added.

BIG designs the interior as simple and pragmatic as possible, yet due to its checker solid-open conceptual make-up, it allows for a range of experiences within a relatively small space. 

Visitors will access to a roof terrace – close to the treetop canopies – that offer a 360-degree views of the forest. 

The interior will receive daylight, by varying the individual sizes of the bird nests and expanding them outwards, and based upon the bird type and frequency in the area. The hotel room will still maintain the outwards views.

"Through wrapping the new hotel room in an ecological habitat, guests are provided the opportunity to experience birdlife in close proximity and exist in the epicenter of nature unfolding," said BIG in a project description.  

Surrounded by subtle bird song – balanced by the exterior triple glazing façade – guests are provided with an intimate, immersive nature experience.

The Treehotel concepts are designed by seven architects in the tall pine forest with spectacular views of the Lule River. Each concept is envisioned with the same design principle incorporating such equipments: Incinerating toilet, electricity, underfloor heating, air conditioning, coffee maker and water kettle, fresh drinking water, refrigerators, WiFi. 

The project is currently under construction.

BIG recently revealed a Virtual Office Building in the Metaverse for Vice Media Group. BIG and A-Lab are also designing a new innovation district Oslo Science City in Norway. 

Project facts

Name: Biosphere

Architects: BIG 

Location Text: Harads, Sweden

Program: Hotel

Status: Under Construction

Size in m2: 34

Project type: Hospitality

Client: Treehotel

Collaborators: Ulf Öhman, Chairman of the Norrbotten Ornithological Association, Ateljé Lyktan, Vittjärvshus

Partner-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, João Albuquerque

Project Leader: Geoffrey Eberle, Angel Barreno Gutiérrez 

Project Architect: Francisco Abajo Duran

Team: Eszter Olah, Ragna Nordstrom, Pawel Marjanski

All images courtesy of BIG.

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