Will you spend the night in a towerhouse on a remote Arctic island to see the Northern Lights? Hvard Lund of Gildeskl, Nordland, Norway, said he had long planned to build a collaborative, rentable facility for artists. Despite his best efforts, his towerhouse, The Njalla, was listed on Airbnb. The Harvard Airbnb in Norway, a miniature village of tiny houses, can accommodate groups and immerse guests in nature.

He stated that his early experiences as a composer and musician taught him the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration. According to Insider, he also stated that he could speed up and make his work more interesting by hanging out with engineers, architects, and, well, all kinds of people, and that the purpose of his little village was to provide a convenient location for such meetings.

“I’m from northern Norway, where I have a very romantic relationship with nature,” he explained. Because of Harvard’s familiarity with the area, selecting a location was simple.
However, it took him six years to acquire his first estate because you must be related to the seller before you can buy one. The first two construction teams he spoke with thought the obstacles to what he had in mind would be too great.

Fortunately, the third one accepted his proposal, and he and his team began construction in 2014 and began renting out the space in 2016. “We had a lot of discussions about what constitutes good architecture in nature,” Hvard said. The architects proposed a new layout at that point, and the concept of a tiny-village with the amenities of a regular home divided into multiple smaller homes was developed.

“Hooray, let’s make it,” said Hvard, who liked the idea. The town is noteworthy because it encourages visitors to explore the outdoors. Being outside alters one’s breathing pattern and allows one to observe natural phenomena that would otherwise be hidden from view indoors. Visitors can see wildlife such as birds, sea otters, and the Northern Lights. Though he chose eternally durable materials for the towerhouse and the rest of the tiny homes, he is aware that due to the climate, periodic maintenance would be required,

and water has a remarkable destructive power. Fortunately, he said, there hasn’t been much need for maintenance so far. Meanwhile, because Hvard does not live on the island full-time, he hired someone to manage the property. “I’m here from May to September, and everyone who works as a caretaker or host at the village needs to grow in their role here. “I’m also honing my abilities as a host, leader, and person,” he explained. “The meetings here have been incredible since opening, with artists of all kinds being able to collaborate in this space.”