Harstad Hotel
New landmark for Harstad.
TYPE OF PROJECT: Hotel
LOCATION: Harstad, Norway
CLIENT: Kaarbø Utvikling
COLLABORATORS: Interior by HAEG Interiørarkitektur
SIZE: 8420 m2 BTA
TIMEFRAME: 2018-2022
STATUS FOR PROJECT: Completed
Harstad hotel is built as a freestanding new building, developed by Kaarbø Utvikling and intended to be run by Nordic Choice as the Quality-chain's concept. The hotel is built for Petter Stordalen and will contain 180 hotel rooms, a conference center, an event hall and a restaurant. The northern norwegian entrepeneur company Consto is assigned as the main contractor for the hotel. The goal has been to establish a landmark in Harstad's sailing entry and give the inhabitants of Harstad a new urban living room for both small scale and larger, more formal events; a meeting place tying the whole city together.
Harstads development started with the dockyard in 1895 (at Kaarbøkvarteret). Again, Harstad stands before an extensive new development that also started at the dockyard; with the first dry dock of this part of the country built in 2015. A new district will be established in Kaarbøkvarteret, by the city center, and the new hotel is the first to be built there. It will be built on the water front, right by the landing pier of hurtigruta. The building will set the standard for further development of high quality, create high expectations and contribute to the city's growth and development.
In addition to the new building, the project will include a dock, a turnaround in front of the main entrance, and access from Fjordgata. The building sequence was determined by the available space and area. The new construction will be built both on existing ground and on a new marine dock installation. Firstly, the dock area had to be constructed, before the hotel could be built. The plot and the dock are so tight that the tower had to be completed before the lower part of the building could be built.
The project includes a partial demolishing of existing buildings. Today there are 5 buildings on the plot, whereof two are planned to be partly or fully demolished. Part of one building will be preserved and incorporated in the new building on area/plot BS4. Take a minute to write an introduction that is short, sweet, and to the point. If you sell something, use this space to describe it in detail and tell us why we should make a purchase. Tap into your creativity. You’ve got this.
At 40 meters and 11 floors, the building will be Harstad's tallest. It consists of a compound volume containing a tower part and a low block. The form reflects the building's dual function. The low block contains a conference center, restaurant with adjoining kitchen and supporting functions, as well as an event hall divided among plan one and two.
The tower building contains 180 hotel rooms distributed on 9 floors from plan 3 to plan 11. The tower is tilted in plan in relation to the lower building and has a rectangular shape with oblique corners. The shape makes the tower appear slender and narrow from many angles.
Materiality and facade expression
The facade will have a strong, vertical expression. To give the building a holistic character, the facades of both the tower and the lower block have been designed to obtain the same varied and active formal expression. The facade is clad with glass and profiled aluminum plates with vertical grooves, underlining the overall vertical expression.
It is sought to limit the scope of materials to a minimum, and to choose materials of good quality, that are durable and can be recycled and reused. Natural anodized varnished aluminum plates reflect the light of varying seasons and at different times of the day. The facade will be bright and have a light expression during the day and reflect the sea. It will change in different light; reflect and interact with the changing light conditions and colors in the north - from the northern light and the polar night to the midnight sun and the summer. The building will have a different expression depending on the changing environment.
Two and two floors are bound together visually so that the tower seems smaller. The edge of the middle floor is covered by glass with the same reflectiveness as the rest of the glass. Glazed and clad elements lie in different layers, enhancing the shadow play of the facade. Two window formats are put together in different combinations and in different positions from floor to floor, giving a playfulness to the vertical linework. Vertical and horizontal aluminum fittings in the transition from the window to the plate cladding gives a refined expression and a higher degree of detail.
Aluminium is a material that points to the site's distinctive character and creates a link to it's shipping industrial past. The rough, industrial materials are mixed with softer and more tactile ones. The main entrance and that of the restaurant are emphasized by warm, golden, standing wood panels that gives a soft and welcoming expression.
The composite shape consisting of regular forms makes area effective plans possible. The hotel is planned to room 180 guest rooms and conference facilities with a 400 square meter large hall with the capacity to room 700 conference guests. On the ground floor, there will be a restaurant on the seafront, a bar with outdoor seating and an event hall. These functions are open and accessible to the public, and face several different directions so that as much of the facades are activated as possible.
The quay facilities are universally designed. A-lab has defined the outdoor levels while Landskaperiet landscape architecture firm has shaped the design. A turning head for trucks by the goods delivery on the building's northwestern side, and a turning circle for buses in front of the building's main entrance are prepared on site. Walking access will be from a separate sidewalk with a width of 1,5 m along the access road's southwestern side. The hotel becomes a stop and an attraction along the "Path along the sea".
The new iconic building in Northern Norway's culture capitol will be situated as if it was laying in the fjord. It will stand out in the fjord landscape and be visible from many perspectives. From the inside; the tall, slender shape will give all the guests as much panoramic view and contact with the ocean and nature as possible.