hospitalitystyle.com

(Fall 2010) posted on Fri Oct 22, 2010 EDT

Beds in the Clouds: Four architecturally arresting cabins nestled high in a forest near the Arctic Circle make Sweden’s Treehotel hospitality’s newest natural wonder.

By Mary Scoviak

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If you're thoroughly greenwashed after trying to wrap a fresh aesthetic around one more bike rack or calculating another carbon offset, check out Treehotel, Harads, Sweden. This is eye candy for the eco-conscious. The property's six luxury cabins perched in the pines of Swedish Lapland have all the right environmental “cred” thanks to their incinerating toilets, water-saving hand basins and insulation that can keep guests warm even in a sub-Arctic winter. But that's not what's generating more than 294,000 Internet search results for this remote retreat. Without the benefit of a big brand or big-name backers, Treehotel has captured the world's attention by packaging earth-friendly operations in designs that test the outer limits of green expectations.

Owners Kent and Britta Lindvall had been looking for a visual theme for the planned expansion of their 12-room, mid-century modern Brittas Pensionat. They found their design direction in Jonas Selberg Augustén's documentary film “Trädälskaren” (Treelover), which follows three urbanites as they try to find oneness with nature while building a treehouse getaway. Kent Lindvall detailed the couple's idea for a treehouse hotel during a fly-fishing trip with friends (fortuitously, several of whom are architects). “We offered them the commission because we thought they'd enjoy it,” he says.

The couple challenged several Swedish architectural firms to unleash their imaginations and leverage their technical skills to create the treehouse cabins. There were a few ground rules: The accommodations had to be from 161 sq. ft. to 322 sq. ft.; each would have its own living and sleeping areas; and the materials and design would have to be eco-conscious. Beyond a vague reference to embracing contemporary Scandinavian design, the Lindvalls' only aesthetic requirement was that each cabin be unique.

Taking up this once-in-a-career offer were: SandellSandberg, Inredningsgruppen AB, Cyrén & Cyrén, Tham & Videgård Arkitekter and Marge Arkitekter. “Our first thought when the Lindvalls presented the project was, ‘Great idea!'” says architect Thomas Sandell, co-founder and principal with SandellSandberg. “We all tried to build treehouses when we were children. We loved the playfulness of the concept but also the sincerity with which it was being executed.”