Construction has commenced on what
is set to be the world’s largest, and Europe’s first, underwater restaurant.
The extraordinary project will transform a concrete container into an up close
and personal view of subsea life.
Expected to open in March 2019, the
aptly-named Under will
sit on the southernmost tip of Norway in the Lindesnes region. Founder of the
project Gaute Ubostad describes the venture as a “mixture of madness
and reason.”
Construction
for the submerged dining experience is taking place on a barge and once
complete, the structure will be lowered into the sea and attached the
foundations on the seabed via steel rods. The entire structure will weigh
between 1,500 and 2,000 ton when finished – or the equivalent of 1,500 cars,
according to those involved.
The underwater restaurant, designed
by the architectural firm Snohetta, will look like a thick, rectangular pipe
made out of rough concrete. Part of it will sit on the shore while the
remainder lies submerged six meters below sea level, resting on the seabed.
Work on the interior of what the
owners ambitiously declare will be the largest underwater restaurant in the
world will take place under sea once the pipe-like building is in situ.
“What makes it so complicated and
unique, is the fact that it isn't going to be a simple, concrete storage tank,
but rather an amazing, unique experience for people due to the location, the
architecture, the interior, the underwater view and the gourmet food,” Arne Marthinsen, construction
project manager said.
© MIR/Snøhetta
Sea conditions obviously present a
particular challenge for the project. “The construction must be able to
withstand enormous natural forces from both the sea, the waves, the weather and
the wind,” Marthinsen added. “Should a thousand-year wave
occur, you will be completely safe within the restaurant.”
Pre-bookings for the 265 square
meter restaurant will open next month – over a year before it’s expected to
open its doors.
Hurawalhi restaurant in the Maldives
is currently home to the world's largest all-glass undersea restaurant,
situated some 5.8 meters under water.
https://www.rt.com/news/416575-underwater-restaurant-norway-biggest/
