Bird lovers will want to flock to a new room designed for Sweden’s Treehotel. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in collaboration with ornithologist Ulf Öhman, Biosphere is a suspended room surrounded by 350 birdhouses. Nestled into the treetops, it will strengthen the natural environment by increasing the bird population and give visitors a special connection with these feathered friends.
The room, which is Treehotel’s eighth, opens in May and features a bold, experimental design. Each on-site cabin interacts with nature and Biosphere is no different. The 3,800-square-foot Biosphere is accessed by a suspended bridge and is designed to immerse guests in the surrounding forests. After spending time at Treehotel, BIG founder Bjarke Ingels wanted to take the concept of immersion and push it even further.
“Almost instantly, the idea of not only the human visitors but also the resident bird and bat population to cohabit a spherical swarm of nests came to life,” Ingels shares.
BIG worked closely with Öhman to create birdhouses of different sizes to attract different birds. These birdhouses protrude from the sphere, creating different levels and allowing light to enter the space while preserving the view. Öhman hopes that the initiative will inspire others to erect their own birdhouses and provide new habitats for the decreasing bird population in northern Sweden.
Inside Biosphere, the space is divided on a split level. The mezzanine-style plan has a lower living area and upper sleeping area. The rich dark interiors and organic materials are inspired by the surrounding forest in an effort to stimulate visitors to look outward and enjoy the landscape.
With Biosphere, Treehotel has accomplished its goal of having rooms designed by architects from every Scandinavian country. Snøhetta and Inrednin Gsgruppen are just two of the firms that have also designed incredible cabins for the hotel, which opened in 2010.