Trakt Forest Hotel by Wingårdhs floats among the tree canopy in Sweden's Sällehägnad. Set among rich woods in the country's southern province of Småland, the project was composed with simplicity in mind. Engulfing the visitor in nature, offering straightforward, sustainable architecture, this is a hotel that places the forest experience at the heart of its identity.
The project, led by studio founder Gert Wingårdh and architect Sara Helder, is composed of five suites set in cabins that have been raised on stilts, seemingly hovering above the forest floor. ‘By elevating the buildings, the suites get closer to the treetops and leave the ground untouched. It gives a feeling of being in between. Present,' the architects explain.
The timber volume of each cabin has been conceived to maximise the guests’ connection with the surrounding woods. Openings were carefully placed to frame various views – towards the leafy context, but also upwards, towards the sky that peeks through the foliage. ‘The one over the bed is the key to make you feel the soothing sensation of watching tall pine trees sway in the wind. That, together with an intimate and frugal inside décor in chlorophyll green, strengthens the experience of being invisible in the middle of a deep Swedish forest,' the architecture team adds.
Leaning into their commitment to an eco-friendly approach, the architects constructed the cabins using locally sourced timber, covering the façade in gently cut, but still raw, pine wood. The dig was kept to an absolute minimum, ensuring a gentle footprint for this Swedish hotel, which hopes to leave its natural context as untouched as possible for both the guests' enjoyment and the local ecosystem's sake and future preservation.
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