Under,
Lindesnes,
Norway
Snøhetta
DRAMATICALLY semi-submerged in the swirling icy
waters off the Norwegian coastline, Under is Europe’s first
restaurant below the sea. It resembles a shipping container,
albeit a high-spec one, that has drifted through the North
Sea and crashed into the rocky coastline at a 20° incline.
The recently opened, unique Snøhetta-designed 495 sq m
restaurant in Lindesnes also functions as a research centre
to explore the natural abundance of marine species found
in the waters at this location.
‘In Norwegian, “under” has the dual meaning of “below”
and “wonder”,’ says Rune Grasdal, project manager and
architect at Snøhetta. ‘Half-sunken into the sea, the building’s
34m-long monolithic form breaks the surface of the waterto rest directly on the seabed 5m below. The structure is
designed to fully integrate into its marine environment over
time, as the roughness of the concrete shell will function as
an artificial reef, welcoming limpets and kelp to inhabit it.’
The experience at the 40-seat restaurant is like no other.
Diners pass from a changeable external environment into
a hushed Norwegian oak-clad foyer. An oak staircase with
raw steel railings and brass tube handrails descends into
the warm and welcoming restaurant. Here, the ceiling
surface shifts from oak to bespoke woven textile stretched
over custom acoustic panels, creating a rich interior. The
deeper the diner descends, the darker the textile colour
becomes, changing from a neutral colour to sunset pink,