a timber viewpoint designed by biotope opens in norway's arctic landscape

in the extreme northeast of norway, biotope’s ‘domen viewpoint’ has opened to the public. the newly-installed landmark provides much needed shelter from the harsh arctic climate while offering stunning views of the untouched norwegian landscape.

images © biotope

the viewpoint is located on a mountain peak in vardø – a town further east than both istanbul and saint petersburg – and offers views of rolling hills, fjords and the barents sea. designed by biotope, the project comprises three small steel-frame structures, whose arrangement evokes the image of a telescopic camera lens focusing in on the natural surroundings.

situated within the arctic climate zone, the area is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. to blend into predominately snowy conditions, biotope decided to clad the exterior of the structures with whitewashed pine panels. in contrast, the interiors feature norwegian-made kebony wood and pink-tinged glass.

the kebony wood used for the interiors is sustainable and highly resistant to wear and weathering. it also requires no maintenance beyond normal cleaning and adopts a beautiful silver-grey patina over time. commenting on the use of kebony, tormod amundsen of biotope says, ‘the warm coloring of kebony contrasts with the cold white landscape and exterior cladding very well. kebony itself is a supreme material, and we look forward to seeing how it will gain a nice patina over time.’

developed in norway, kebony’s revolutionary technology is an environmentally friendly and patented process that modifies sustainably sourced softwoods by heating the wood with furfuryl alcohol – an agricultural by-product. by polymerizing the wood’s cell wall, the softwoods permanently take on the attributes of tropical hardwood including high durability, hardness and dimensional stability. this unique process also provides kebony with its characteristic appearance, which will age with the natural landscape surrounding the viewpoint.

mette valen, sales manager norway at kebony adds, ‘we are delighted to being used so extensively in this stunning viewpoint, which really sets a new standard for environmentally-friendly construction. it was a pleasure to work with the team to realize the vision for the innovative project.’ domen viewpoint was commissioned by the national scenic routes of norway and built by local company, finnmark entreprenør.