Set to open spring 2019, an establishment called Under will be the world’s largest underwater restaurant. Positioned by the village of Båly at the southernmost point of the Norwegian coast, guests will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the North Atlantic ocean floor whilst having dinner.
“We are trying to get it as natural and close to the environment as we can, and we have to think a bit different than usual projects,” said Gaute Ubostad, founder and owner of Under. “Norwegians are used to building things under water, but what makes it so complicated and unique is the fact that it isn’t going to be a simple, concrete storage tank, but rather an amazing, unique experience for people due to the location, the architecture, the interior, the underwater view and the gourmet food.”
Designed by architectural bureau Snøhetta, the restaurant’s one end rests on the shore where guests enter the restaurant, while the other end sits on the seabed approximately five metres below sea level. This is where the main dining room is positioned, where an 11 by 3.5-metre window provides the restaurant’s unmatched view.
The 2,500-ton restaurant is slightly curved in order to withstand the harsh waves of the Lindesnes coastline, and the concrete walls are half a metre thick. The panoramic window is about 30 centimetres thick and made out of durable acrylic.
While the scale of this project may seem intrusive to a natural environment, Under was actually designed to help marine life thrive. “The building is like a reef in the sea and the material will grow into the ocean and hopefully be a natural part of the environment,” Ubostad told Setting Mind in an interview. The coarse concrete shell invites mussels to cling onto it, which will eventually create an artificial mollusk reef that both rinses the sea and attracts more marine life.
“Compared to the tropical waters, the diversity of species at Lindesnes isn’t less in abundance, rather on the contrary. It’s very important for us to make the subsea experience as authentic and interesting as possible,” said Ubostad.
