Six Senses has announced that it will operate Norway’s long-awaited Svart hotel, an energy-positive project located in the Holandsfjorden fjord.
The 94-room Six Senses Svart will open in 2024 at the base of the Svartisen glacier, set on poles above the waters of the fjord to ensure minimal land impact and seabed disruption.
The property will be the first building to be designed and built after the highest energy efficiency standard in the northern hemisphere, and blends “futuristic design and technological innovation” with earthy, organic materials.
The project will use solar energy to power the hotel, adjacent operations, boat shuttle and the energy required to construct the building, meaning that it is independent from the power grid.
According to Six Senses, such energy-positive buildings could deliver 89 per cent of the 45 per cent decrease in emissions required for global warming to be limited to 1.5 degree above pre-industrial levels.
Svart will also have its own waste and water management, recycling and renewable infrastructure. The team will work with existing sustainable fishing and farming operations and collaborate with local suppliers for the restaurants and bars.
The design is inspired by the fiskehjell, an A-shaped wooden structure for drying fish, and the rorbu, a coastal fisherman’s cabin. The circular shape of the building allows it to offer panoramic views and privacy with an expanded distance between rooms, all the while collecting energy from the roof.
The modern and sustainable Scandic interiors will include quirky artwork, artefacts and landscape follies which chart local heritage and creativity.
Facilities will include zero-waste dining venue The Marketplace; The Alchemy Bar, which will transform local flora and fauna into scents and scrubs; the Earth Lab, which will showcase “lifecycle living” initiatives on and off the property; and the Svart Design Lab, which will act as an incubator for innovation and education, informing guests on the power of new technologies to bring the sector closer to carbon neutrality.
Commenting on the brand’s first project in Scandinavia, CEO of Six Senses Neil Jacobs said:
“Sustainable properties call for extraordinary creativity, and Six Senses Svart takes us to a whole new level in terms of pushing boundaries. The concept has become bigger than the project itself, as it will provide a futuristic showcase for what can be achieved in terms of sustainability and energy solutions, and therefore a blueprint within our hospitality industry and the development sector in general.”
Ivaylo Lefterov, Svart development director, added:
“Building a unique environment through cutting-edge design and superior craftsmanship comes with clear obligations. Creating a sustainable destination through an optimized resort operation requires us to collaborate with the right partner.
“Six Senses shares the same ethos and ambition, to redefine bespoke travel through technological innovation, carbon-neutral approach, ground-breaking design, and an exceptional guest journey.”
Additionally the team have established a ‘Net Zero Lab’, designed for developing and taking to market the technology that they have created as a means to improve the industry at large.
Six Senses Hotels, Resorts and Spas manages 17 hotels and resorts and 26 spas in 20 countries. It was acquired by IHG Hotels and Resorts in 2019.
