A Cold War fortress on a Swedish island is the setting for this timber-framed restaurant by Sweco Architects (+ slideshow).
The building is located at the Hemsö Fortress, one particular of the cornerstones of Sweden’s coastal defence artillery during the Cold War, and the only surviving facility of its kind in the nation.
The fortress is now being opened up as a tourist attraction, so Uppsala-primarily based Sweco Architects was tasked with designing a restaurant for visitors.
The studio’s aim was to develop a creating that references the military history of the website, but also fits in with its elevated clifftop setting, dealing with out above the Gulf of Bothnia.
To accomplish this, it mixed traditional forms with natural materials and massive windows.
“A ‘refined barracks’ was a motto in the layout process,” explained the design team, which was led by task architect Sverker Cajmatz.
“The tilted and angled roofs and the box shape have been a nod to the military buildings making an attempt to hide in the terrain,” added the studio. “The large glass surfaces on the other hand will welcome and invite the guests as they technique the restaurant.”
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Glulam – an engineered wood made by glueing together layers of timber – forms the building’s structural framework, which is exposed both within and out.
Close to the perimeter, the angled glulam beams assistance the overhanging roof, producing a sheltered region about the perimeter exactly where site visitors can consider in the see.
The building has a easy rectangular plan, which is divided in half to create a dining location at the front and kitchen spaces at the back.
Wood dominates in the buyer areas – ash parquet gives flooring, the walls are lined with wooden boards and the ceilings are covered in sound-absorbent wood panels. Other specifics contain branch-like lighting fixtures and big potted plants.
Sweco Architects forms component of the wider Sweco business, a massive architecture and engineering consultancy. Other projects by the studio contain a pair of ski jumps and a hair salon filled with green boxes.
Photography is by Tim Meier.
Floor plan – click for greater image 
Facade – click for more substantial picture 
