Introduction

Norway’s eighteen scenic roads cover 2,136km of stunning landscape, extending from the deep deciduous southwest where plants thrive and waterfalls flow, up to the remote towns and northern lights of the far North. These roads undulate through ever changing landscapes from archipelagos sprinkled with small port communities to great fjordscapes and towering peaks. Norway can feel overwhelming to new travelers, with minimal civilization and harsh climate conditions, there is an inherent roughness and vastness to the Northern landscape. But with the contributions of several renowned Nordic architects and designers, these scenic routes have become filled with beautiful morsels of New Nordic design to vitalize travelers on their journey. Not only are there plentiful art installations and viewpoints, but also the most unexpectedly fancy public bathrooms.

Starting in the Southwest on the Hardanger route, you’ll find gorgeous mountains, fjords, waterfalls and glaciers – and Tryvefjøra or the ‘fairytale toilet’ that amplifies the magical intersection of these features. On the Rondane route, architect Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk attaches history to the landscape with his design honoring a historic art piece. The Geiranger route is the first sign of lush valleys and precipitous mountains, with plentiful viewpoints built off of mountains and overhanging the valleys below. The Helgelandskysten route is known for Ureddplassen, the “world’s most beautiful bathroom,” and Trælvikosen – a trail of stones that disappears and reappears with the tide to celebrate the shifts of nature. Moving further North, the Eggum fishing village in the Lofoten islands has an amphitheater-shaped rest stop for visitors to experience the northern lights as if they were watching a show. Finally as you ascend North on the Varanger scenic route, you’ll find bird-watching hideouts and a viewpoint to remember a dark history of witch trials in Northern Norway.

The architecture and designs are distinctive, but the overall theme is clear: simple, beautiful, intentional designs that amplify the landscape and bridge a connection between human and nature. Some projects celebrate Norwegian history, while others bring a fresh take on the Norwegian experience. The viewpoints allow you to walk into the sky and see nature beneath your feet, while the warm and inviting rest stops greet you at the exact moment you feel overwhelmed by the vastness of it all. Structure exteriors are usually as hardy as the landscape itself, but interiors are painted with warm woods, colors, and glass to invite visitors to stay a while. Design decisions are made with the ecosystem in mind, creating sustainable builds that make use of renewable energy and celebrate the nature it’s built on. In an endeavor to find the three designs along the scenic routes that speak most to the core ideas of New Nordic design, the three that stood out to me were Flotane, Ostasteidn, and Sohlbergplassen.

Flotane

Exhibit A: Flotane exterior.

Flotane is at the summit of Aurlandsfjellet scenic route, and the rest area facilities make it feel like you’re even closer to the sky. After the long ascent from the seashore to the mountain, the Flotane rest stop designed by LJB greets you on the opposite side of the road. Encased in a stacked stone wall are benches all facing different directions, and an intriguing concrete tilted cube with a glass face and a wooden back. The structure is seemingly resting against the mountain and opening its heart to the landscape and visitors alike, inviting travelers to turn in and enjoy the view at the top.

The building is a small south-facing facility hosting two bathrooms and a technical area in between, and its tilted shape is said to resist adverse weather conditions and provide shelter on the back side, as well as gain the most sunlight through the window’s integrated solar cells. The warm colored wood and concrete overhang that make up the entrance to the bathroom feels private and comforting, out of sight from the rest of the parking lot and shielded from the elements.

Exhibit B: Flotane floor plan.

Once inside, the room naturally opens up with the angle of the structure, providing natural light through the upper window while using the opaqueness of the solar panels below as a privacy mechanism. The triangular shaped technical room gives the bathrooms an interesting angular layout, with the toilet and sink resting against the triangular side, facing the square corner with the window slightly offset from the visitor’s line of view, which I think is such an interesting way to make angular shapes still feel so inviting.