Europe’s First Underwater Restaurant is Now Taking Bookings

Europe’s First Underwater Restaurant is Now Taking Bookings

At the southernmost point of the craggy Norwegian coast, perched on a barge in the sleepy town of Båly, Europe’s first underwater restaurant, is already causing a splash.



At
the southernmost point of the craggy Norwegian coast, perched
on a barge in the sleepy town of Båly, Europe’s first underwater
restaurant, is already causing a splash.

Named Under – which has the
double meaning of “sunken” and “wonder” in Norwegian – the sleek
concrete monolith sits half submerged in Norway’s
temperamental waters like an ice cube bobbing in a just-poured
G&T. Simultaneously intrusive yet blending in with the
environment, the design is cutting-edge but the result could
equally pass as a coastline relic.



This unique eatery is the brainchild of Snøhetta – the
architectural minds behind Oslo’s
Opera House and Norway’s new banknotes – who strive to “enhance our
sense of surroundings, identity and relationship to others and the
physical spaces we inhabit”. A restaurant which is as much (if not
more) about its situation as its form, the structure would be
incomplete without the aquatic life which surrounds it.

The dining experience is dependent on the 16-foot deep
subterranean views afforded by Under’s colossal panoramic window
and strategically lit-up seabed, while with time the surrounding
marine environment will entwine itself with the restaurant thanks
to a coarse concrete shell that encourages mussels to cling to it.
This will transform the structure into artificial mussel reef which
functions both to purify the surroundings and in turn attract more
aquatic life.



Never one for single-use spaces, Snøhetta’s groundbreaking
concept will double up as a research centre for marine biologists
and other researchers. Under also encourages diners to engage with
their maritime surroundings through informational plaques that line
the trail that leads diners to the water’s edge. As well as
fostering public engagement and awareness about Norway’s
biodiversity, the mounted plaques play a role in weaving the
overall narrative of Under: immersion.

Under is now accepting
bookings for dates beginning April 2019.

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Destination Inspiration: Bodø, Norway