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Snøhetta’s winning hotel design for Helsinki waterfront is inspired by broken sea ice

Prolific design firm Snøhetta seems to be leaving their architectural stamp around the world one city at a time, and that’s just fine with us.

The talented team’s proposal for the Hilbert Hotel in Helsinki has just been announced as the winning design in a competition held by the city. The design for the swanky hotel, which will sit on the Hakaniemi waterfront, is a zigzag volume clad in a luminous white glass skin inspired by broken sea ice.

The exterior of the hotel will be covered in a geometric series of reflective panels. The small “cutouts”will correspond to the hotel occupancy. On the interior, each room will have a number of small windows, one of which will be operable.

Related: Snøhetta’s luxury cabin with Aurora Borealis views opens at Treehotel

According to the architects, the hotel design is meant to convert the Hakaniemi waterfront into a vibrant part of Helsinki. In addition to the hotel’s many amenities such as a restaurant and bar, visitors will also be able to enjoy an outdoor seating area and a rooftop terrace.

Snøhetta founding partner Kjetil T. Thorsen explains that the design is inspired by the hotel’s surrounding nature, “Snøhetta is thrilled by the prospect of contributing to the vast architectural heritage of Helsinki. We have tried to actively celebrate the presence of visitors in the city. Simultaneously, we have tried to promote the qualities, such as the connection to the water, of this specific site as a gift to the visitors and inhabitants of Helsinki. This mutual task is at the core of architectural creations. The City of Helsinki and Arthur Buchardt are the best possible partners in the realization of a building Helsinki deserves.”

Snøhetta’s winning hotel design for Helsinki waterfront is inspired by broken sea ice

Details

  • Helsinki, Finland
  • Snøhetta