Sheer luxury

It makes sense to design a restaurant and information centre near a tourist attraction, especially one that is known for it’s natural beauty and sheer size.

Reiulf Ramstad Architects recently completed the Troll Wall Restaurant, located at the foot of the tallest vertical rock face in Europe, in Norway’s Romsdal Valley.

The jagged glass edges of the restaurant mimic the rock face and point up in the same direction. The full-height glazed glass walls ensure diners do not miss an inch of the impressive view, or the base jumpers taking flight off the sheer rock face. The use of glass also creates reflections of the dramatic mountain onto the building, glamorously camouflaging it into the scenic backdrop.

Criss-crossed structural beams support the structure of the Troll Wall restaurant, while also creating a striking contemporary architectural language. The elevation at the back of the building has been cleverly clad with charred timber, which does not only create an intriguing juxtaposition with the glass but also encloses offices and an information centre at the back of the building.

The simplicity and cleanliness of the design is best described by the Reiulf Ramstad Architects’ motto: “Whatever is iconic must be perfect, whatever is perfect must be lucid, whatever is lucid must be simple, and whatever is simple must be bold.”

Completed in April, the building also houses an enormous gift shop and a movie theatre that plays a twelve-minute video on the history of the Troll Wall. The restaurant offers a three-course dinner but also includes roadside fast food, making it one of the larniest trucker pit stops in the world.

The Troll Wall restaurant and visitor center will be open seasonally from June to September when views of the towering cliffs are most spectacular. Concerts, movies, and parachute jump events will also take place during the season.

More information: www.reiulframstadarkitekter.no