Mountain lodge, Stavanger

The Pulpit Rock, a 600m cliff cantilevering over the Lysefjord, north of Stavanger, is a well-known spot. So well known in fact that the previous moutain lodge (built in 1947) had become too small to cater for the influx of tourists (120,000 to be precise) that desceneded on the place every year. As a result the Norwegian wood program launched a competition to build a spanking new one. The winning entry came from local architects Helen & Hard and the new lodge, which accommodates twenty-eight guest rooms, a café, a restaurant and a conference room, opened a few months a ago.

See more of the Pulpit Rock Mountain lodge

The Pulpit Rock, a 600m cliff cantilevering over the Lysefjord, north of Stavanger, is a well-known spot. So well known in fact that the previous moutain lodge (built in 1947) had become too small to cater for the influx of tourists (120,000 to be precise) that desceneded on the place every year. As a result the Norwegian wood program launched a competition to build a spanking new one. The winning entry came from local architects Helen & Hard and the new lodge, which accommodates 28 guest rooms, a café, a restaurant and a conference room, has just opened.

Considering the surrounding environment it seemed only logical for Helen & Hard to design the building entirely in wood. However to give it an even more smooth, natural finish the architects came up with a way of fitting the massive wooden ribs without using any glue nor nails - different layers of wood are only held together by wooden dowels which are fitted and then injected with a fluid to make them swell up and fit firmly in place.

Indivdual rooms are spacious and all en-suite with a glazed walls to separate the bathrooms. While the large, geometrically interesting restaurant seats 100 people.

Needless to say all the materials used are environmentally friendly, both emission free and non-toxic. And just for that little bit extra, Helen & Hard have designed some tents to hang in the trees and sit on to the rocks on the trekking route up to the pulpit, where people can rest and take in the breathtaking landscape around them.