Mountain restaurant Björk

For this restaurant on the Swedish mountains architects let themselves be influenced by local Sami culture, reflected in the design and materials.

Murman Architects, Mountain restaurant Björk, Hemavan, Sweden
The building sits along the top tree line of the slow growing birch trees, beside the ski lift. This is a location that emphasises the buildings relation to the nature, summer and winter. From this site you have a panoramic view of the mountains and the valley to the south.
Murman Architects wanted to make a landmark and a building that reveals how it is constructed from a distance, a distinctive and unique look that feels natural on the site and at the same time easily constructed with prefabricated parts.
Murman Architects, Mountain restaurant Björk, Hemavan, Sweden
Murman Architects, Mountain restaurant Björk, Hemavan, Sweden

The building was designed to be lifted into place by helicopter. But a temporary road was built during the summer to carry the structure to the site due to practicality reasons and the need for services to supply the building.

The interior of the building is dominated with durable materials like pinewood and carpet, to prevent slipping with ski boots. The furniture also consists of simple built in place pinewood benches and tables.

The structural system of glulam beams form a triangular shape, this form is silhouetted in the façade which is finished with panels of untreated wood allowed to weather naturally. The glulam beam structure protrudes the roof form, highlighting the generous dimensions of the building by allowing these beams to be visible in both the exterior and interior envelope. Weather and wind will contribute to the expression. When the snow falls it settles in drifts on the roof and affects the shape of the building. The architects have toned down the color and material expression in favor of a strong form of the landscape.

The design and materials are influenced by local Sami culture. From a distance, the restaurant is visible with an inviting entrance and outdoor area to the south, a building that is activated on a sunny day as well as a winter’s day around the fireplaces inside.


Mountain restaurant Björk, Hemavan, Sweden
Program: restaurant
Architects: Murman Architects
Client: Hemavan Alpine AB
Structure: Martinsons Group
Contractor: Contractor AB
Area: 350 sqm
Completion: 2015

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