Permanent ice hotel chilled by solar power opens near Arctic Circle
by Kim Megson | 02 Dec 2016
The world’s first permanent ice hotel has opened to guests 200km (124m) north of the Arctic Circle.
Icehotel 365, located in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi, is a year-round extension to the world-famous 26-year old temporary structure, which is sculpted every winter using ice from the Torne River before melting in spring.
To ensure the new structure stands firm all year round – despite its walls, floors and ceiling being made exclusively from ice and snow – a refrigerating plant powered by solar energy will maintain a temperature of minus five degrees Celsius in the warmer months. In Jukkasjärvi, the sun shines for 100 consecutive days and nights during the summer.
The new 2,100sq m (22,600sq ft) building – erected on the site of a former ice storage facility – features nine deluxe suites, each with its own warm bathroom and sauna, and eleven art suites. It also holds a large ice bar and an ice art gallery. A curved roof covered in greenery provides a vantage point of the surroundings and space for tobogganing.
The classic temporary Icehotel will be opened as usual on 16 December, creating a total of 55 rooms between the two structures. Several tons of ice will create both buildings, which sit on adjacent plots.
Ice sculptures feature heavily throughout the wintry complex. In the permanent version, the art will change during the year, melting back into Torne River when a new selection is needed. Over forty artists, designers and architects from nine different countries have created initial pieces.
French architects Luc Voisin and Mathieu Brison have created props representing the 1920s for one of the suites, while designers Viktor Tsarski and Wouter Biegelaar have dreamt up a crystal forest suite. Another room creates the feeling of being at the bottom of the ocean.
Guests are encouraged to craft their own ice sculptures. Other activities throughout the year include taking an arctic wilderness survival course, travelling to witness the Midnight Sun phenomenon and plunging into the river as part of the Jukkasjärvi sauna ritual.
Icehotel Icehotel 365 Arctic Circle Sweden Jukkasjärvi
A series of architects and designers have created suites for the hotel Credit: Icehotel
Sculptures in the permanent Icehotel will be changed throughout the year Credit: Icehotel
The Icehotel 365 has been erected on the site of an ice storage plant, and its icy walls will be maintained by a refrigerating plant Credit: Icehotel
The temporary Icehotel will return as normal, creating a total of 55 rooms Credit: Icehotel
The Icehotel is located 200km from the Arctic Circle Credit: Icehotel
All materials used to build the hotel have been harvested from the Torne River Credit: Icehotel
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The world’s first permanent ice hotel has opened to guests 200km (124m) north of the Arctic Circle. Icehotel 365, located in the Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi, is a year-round extension to the world-famous 26-year old temporary structure, which is sculpted every winter using ice from the Torne River before melting in spring. To ensure the new structure stands firm all year round – despite its walls, floors and ceiling being
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