Aurora Lodge: An Architectural Marvel in the Lyngen Alps

Snorre Stinessen's A-Frame Design Wins Golden A' Design Award

The Aurora Lodge is a testament to Stinessen's ability to harmoniously blend architecture with nature. Inspired by the natural terrain of the Lyngen Alps, the lodge's concrete floor and terraces extend the natural terrain into the structure. The simplistic A-frame design, tilted back from the seaside, aligns the roof with the surrounding terrain, providing privacy on one side and panoramic views on the other.

Partly a private retreat and a small lodge, the Aurora Lodge is organized within a main structure comprising two units and terraces, a separate suite, and a sauna across the creek. The design respects the natural site, with the main building stretching out across the natural plateau, just behind a single line of trees. High ceilings and seamless glass walls invite the sky and landscape into the building, creating an immersive experience for the inhabitants.

The lodge's construction combines steel and wood to ensure a solid, but slim envelope capable of withstanding hurricane wind loads and massive snow loads. The buildings are clad in copper to withstand the salinity of the ocean air, and insulation, vapor barrier, and complete construction ensure air transmission and construction breathing. The glass panels, up to six meters in height, are structural glazing, glued directly to the steel pillars.

The main unit houses a fully independent communal living space, five bedrooms, all with private, en-suite bathrooms. The northernmost unit houses the main kitchen and dining room, designed like a winter garden observatory to provide fantastic views across the sea to the horizon. A separate annex/suite follows the same design approach, and across the creek, the sauna sits as a separate building with its interior all focused on the view towards the ocean.

The Aurora Lodge project started in July 2020 and was completed in February 2021. The planning phase began ten years earlier when Stinessen bought the plot privately and eventually developed a project for sale. The design process was meticulous, with thorough analysis of the terrain, seasons, winds, and other factors before the design of the project, positioning of buildings, landscape design, pre-production design, production, infrastructure, logistics planning, and construction planning.

The project faced several creative and technical challenges, including construction and logistic planning for a very remote and inaccessible site, a limited building season, and a very advanced construction demanding millimeter precision in all elements. Nevertheless, the Aurora Lodge stands as a testament to Stinessen's architectural prowess and his ability to create a design that both respects and embraces the fantastic natural surroundings.