Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara
Rovaniemi, Finland
- Ice Hotels
- Finland
- Entered December 2028
The house stands on the fell, and on a grey morning the valley below simply goes out.
When the weather turns
Weather arrives here before it reaches the city below. The house stands on the fell, and on a grey morning the valley simply goes out: the river, the roofs, the far treeline. Inside, the day shortens to the length of a corridor, and the windows do the work the walks used to do.
Where everyone goes
The dining room takes the day. Its windows run from floor to ceiling, and the tables near them fill first, then the seats further back. Guests who have a sauna in the room use it earlier than they meant to, so the house spreads upward as much as it gathers on one floor.
What stops working
The tracks and trails that begin at the door may be closed, and the ski area beside the hotel keeps its own hours; both depend on conditions. The path down the fell into town is the first thing people give up.
What the building does
The answer is height and glass. Sitting above the valley, the hotel turns the view into an interior, and parking at the door shortens the crossing from car to lobby to almost nothing. Saunas inside the rooms remove one more trip outside.
