Stay at the Sustainable Treehotel in Sweden

It’s like stepping into an outdoors architectural gallery. Or an architectural, sustainable retreat. Located in Harads, Sweden about 60 km from the Arctic circle, the Treehotel features 7 architectural masterpieces by Sweden’s favorite architects (with the exception of Snöhetta’s 7th Room). Each room is unique in design and theme, but they all are built in a sustainable way, keeping in mind the environment and blending perfectly into nature. Apart from its sustainable design and untouched location, Treehotel uses water-efficient bathrooms and electricity from local, hydroelectric power. Even outdoor activities maintain the hotel’s eco-conscious approach; snowmobile safaris are not offered within the vicinity, and instead, the Treehotel pushes for wild walks in the area. Searching for an atypical place to stay in Sweden? Look no further. Choose a UFO-styled spaceship, a gigantic bird’s nest, or a reflective, glass-walled mirror cube.

The UFO

We’ve all probably watched alien movies and dreamed of seeing what a UFO looks like from the inside. Well, now you can. The UFO, part of the Treehotels in Sweden, looks like a flying saucer, hovering between the trees. The UFO fits up to five persons and high-strength composite material for a light yet durable and sustainable design. This lightness is also felt through wires and beams which the UFO is connected to. Like all the rooms at the Treehotel, the UFO has incinerating toilets with a sustainable water system.

Architect: Inredningsgruppen Bertil Harstrom

Capacity: 5 people (1 double bed & 3 single beds)

Room Price: from 500$/night

Access: via an electric, retractable ladder through a hatch in the floor.

The Bird’s Nest

Literally described in its name, the Bird’s Nest becomes one with nature and is perceived as a giant nest, hidden away from the outer world and supported by the trees. Looking at the room from the outside, you suppose it is small or compact; however, it features small windows that bring in light and lets you look out into your surroundings. The random superposition of the twigs adds to its sustainable design as an oversized bird’s nest among the other nests in the forest.

Architect: Inredningsgruppen Bertil Harstrom

Capacity: 4 people (1 double bed & 2 single beds)

Room Price: from 500$/night

Access: via a ladder through a hatch in the floor.

The Mirrorcube

Everything will reflect in this – the trees, the birds, the clouds, the sun, everything. So, it should be nearly invisible in the forest’. Kent Lindvall (owner of Treehotel) The Mirrorcube is a lightweight, aluminum structure, supported by a single tree trunk and camouflaged in its surroundings; so camouflaged in fact that you might miss it as you walk through the forest. It both reflects and blends in with nature. At the Mirrorcube, the hotel’s minimal impact is always in mind; so, a special coating is applied to the mirrored glass which will be visible to the birds, as to protect them from flying into the glass.

Architect: Tham & Videgård

Capacity: 2 people (1 double bed)

Room Price: from 500$/night

Access: via a wooden suspension bridge.

The 7th Room

The 7th room by Snöhetta is, by all means, sustainable. The room is designed using local Scandinavian wood inside and out. With nature as its main focus, it provides 360 degrees views of the forest and the nearby river with panoramic windows, a suspended, netted terrace, and a tree protruding inside. To reduce the effect on the trees, twelve columns carry the cabin. Even the bathroom and shower are designed with an eco-friendly manner. The limits between inside and outside become hazy, and the 7th Room is now part of the forest.

Architect: Snöhetta

Capacity: 5 people (2 double beds & 1 bed sofa)

Room Price: from 1,350$/night

Access: via a staircase / a small life for luggages.

The Blue Cone

The blue cone, which is actually red, is built using traditional pinewood shingle, a material usually used for the roofs in the local area. Different from the other treehouses at the Treehotel, the Blue Cone, with its red color, stands out within its surrounding but is still built sustainably and with minimum impact to the forest.

Architect: Sandell Sandberg

Capacity: 4 people (1 double bed & 2 single beds)

Room Price: from 500$/night

Access: via a sloping ramp.

The Cabin

The cabin is accessed through a long bridge that leads to the roof, specifically a door, seeming to hover in the air. From here, you go down to the room cabin which hangs underneath the roof terrace and which sits perfectly within the trees. Shaped like a capsule, The Cabin is built using fabrics for trailers, for durability and stability.

Architect: Cyrén & Cyrén

Capacity: 2 people (1 double bed)

Room Price: from 565$/night

Access: via a bridge at roof level.

Dragonfly

One of the biggest rooms at the Treehotel, the Dragonfly can fit 4 people with one bedroom facing the river and the other the quiet forest. Entry is through a 15-meter ramp, and the room hovers at 6 meters above ground. Light plays a huge role at the Dragonfly: as it strikes into the room, light gives you the impression of being so close to nature, you can touch the trees.

Architect: Rintala Eggertsson Architects

Capacity: 4 people (2 double beds OR 4 single beds)

Room Price: from 830$/night

Access: via a ramp.