Nyksund Fryseri – a Boutique Hotel in the Coastal Fishing Village of Nyksund
In the spring of 2021 Snøhetta finished a feasibility study for a boutique hotel in Nyksund, a coastal fishing village in the Vesterålen archipelago of Northern Norway. “Fryseri” is a Norwegian word meaning “freezer facility” and Nyksund Fryseri is named after the building it will replace – a freezer facility that was built and used back when Nyksund was an active fishing village.
The real experience of Nyksund starts already 9 kilometers before reaching the town itself. A narrow road with the mountain wall on one side and the open ocean on the other is a suiting introduction to the experience that awaits. Out there, surrounded by the wild nature, is Nyksund. The colorful buildings form a playful town collage and contrasts the blue, green and gray tones of the surrounding nature.
The ambition of the project was to design a building that blends into the unique picturesque architecture of Nyksund and that is made to experience the midnight sun, safe harbor and raw nature of the village in a sustainable way that preserves the surrounding nature for generations to come. To match the neighboring buildings in terms of scale, the hotel building is broken down to six volumes in different shapes and sizes where each volume is represented in its own unique color, adding to the colorful Nyksund palette.
A central core binds the six volumes together in a way that opens up the hotel area and ensures public access to the quay, creating a relaxed and dynamic meeting place for visitors and locals alike. The hotel offers 30 comfortable rooms in various sizes and several services for guests to enjoy. A restaurant providing culinary experience based on locally sourced ingredients is located by the harbor, with an adventure room where guests gear up for the day nearby. The roof is an area dedicated to wellness where the spectacular view of the ocean and the mountains can be enjoyed from one of the outdoor pools or in one of the saunas.
