It’s one of eight unique spaces at the Treehotel in Sweden.
by Kenneth Lee / March 29, 2022
Swedish suspended glass hotel room the Biosphere is available for stay from May onwards. Photo: Bjarke Ingels Group
With Singapore reopening to the world at large, there’s licence again to start searching for unique getaways.
So picture this: waking up in a hotel room sequestered in a secluded Swedish forest to the bright chirping of not one just bird, but possibly 300.
If that’s your jam, then check out Denmark-based architecture company Bjarke Ingels Group’s suspended glass hotel room, which is surrounded by 350 birdhouses. Dubbed the Biosphere, it’s available for stay from May onwards.
Suspended four to ten metres above the forest floor, visitors get in via suspension bridge. Of course, there are all the creature comforts associated with a getaway: air-conditioning, heating, a toilet, a coffee maker and, of course, Wifi.
Bird’s the word
Nestled in the small village of Harads in Northern Sweden, the Biosphere is one of eight unique hotel rooms created for the 12-year-old Treehotel, established by owners Britta and Kent Lindvall in 2010.
The seven other bespoke rooms – including a giant bird’s nest, a flying saucer and a mirrored cube – draw from Scandinavia’s pantheon of highly-respected architects, including Snohetta and Tham & Videgard Arkitekter.
As for the Biosphere, it was made with a good cause in mind.
“By designing a treetop hotel room with a facade of bird nests, the aim of Biosphere is to decrease the downward spiral of the bird population in the Swedish woods and instead strengthen the biosphere and natural habitat,” Bjarke Ingels Group said in a press release.
Said birdhouses are arranged around the glass-walled hotel room to provide ample privacy while allowing plenty of natural light to stream into the woody interior, which is split into a lower living area and an upper sleeping level.
Separated by triple-glazed, full-height windows, ceilings and floors, guests have ample opportunity for birdwatching. The roof terrace offers an excellent view of the nearby Lule River.
The hotel hopes the experience inspires visitors to get their own birdhouse at home.
“Demonstrating the use of bird nests and feeding, not just at the Treehotel but for people to install near their own homes, is valuable. An initiative from Treehotel to take such measures may inspire their visitors to do the same,” says project consultant Ulf Ohman, who is also chairman of the Norrbotten Ornithological Association.
Beyond birdwatching, guests can also expect a full itinerary, including dog sledding, a snowmobile safari, and sauna visits. Locavore grub prepared by onsite chefs can also be had at the central guesthouse.
And Bjarke Ingels Group founder Bjarke Ingels has the answer to the question on everyone’s mind: how will the Biosphere keep clean, with so many birds living around it and going about their – ahem – business?
“After our first conversations with Ulf, we were relieved to learn that birds don’t drop where they nest,” says Ingels. “So there is hope for the glass to remain clear within this cloud of aviary architecture.”
(Related: District Hive’s self-sufficient capsule hotel lets you stay anywhere)
