Elva Lodge / Mange Bekker Arkitektur

Elva Lodge / Mange Bekker Arkitektur

Textual content description supplied by the architects. Elva Lodge (The River Lodge) is a small resort in Voss, Norway. Voss is famend for its spectacular panorama and as a well-liked vacation spot for out of doors and excessive sports activities fans. The consumer’s foremost purpose was to determine distinctive lodging, linked to their current actions middle, for energetic company to expertise and discover the native nature.

The 14-room resort consists of 5 freestanding small tower homes every with one to 3 resort rooms, and a foremost constructing with 4 wheelchair-accessible rooms, reception, convention room, and restaurant which connects to an current constructing with bar, café, kitchen, and spa space. The restaurant serves domestically produced meals. One of many foremost challenges is that many of the website is 2 to 4 meters below the projected flood zone ranges after factoring in future local weather change. Additionally, consideration needed to be taken for the safety of weak wetland habitats alongside the water’s edge, particularly all through the development interval.

The place required the buildings are raised on stilts above the 200-year flood stage. Solely the restaurant which connects to the present bar, kitchen, and spa space is positioned under the flood stage and designed to resist flooding via waterproof materials use, with all technical installations positioned a minimal of 1,4m above the ground. The raised buildings additionally create a wide range of lined out of doors areas for the company and permit visible transparency via the buildings towards the waterfront.

To scale back the carbon footprint of the constructing concrete is simply used within the foundations and below the flood stage. The remainder of the development is with precut timber which each saved time and waste supplies in the course of the constructing section. The buildings are shaped to suit the panorama and compact website, and open for views each between and from inside every constructing.  Every room provides the non-public expertise of contact with the encompassing panorama and views over the river and lake in direction of the mountains. 

The freestanding models are positioned 1,5m decrease than the adjoining parking space, and linked to the primary constructing by a sunken lined wheelchair-accessible walkway which creates a pure boundary in direction of the character space surrounding the resort. This top distinction additionally reduces the visible top of the buildings from the neighboring homes behind.

Pure coloured supplies have been chosen so the buildings mix in higher with the encompassing panorama. The out of doors areas are planted with native species of meadow grass and flowers to encourage native insect and birdlife.