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Stokkøya
Sjøsenter is owned and run by Torild Langklopp and Roar Svenning.
Roar grew
up at the Troningen farm by Hosnasand, and this story starts way back when his
parents decided to add to their income by running a camp site for tourists who
needed no frills accommodation.
The sea
around Stokkøya is brilliant for diving, and over time the site became a base
for divers from outside the local area. The building we call Sjøsenteret – the
Sea Centre – today was used for accommodation, communal area and eating. The
Sea Centre was originally the main building of a farm called Botnan, and was
also at one point used as a workshop for a welding firm.
At one of
these diving meets Torild and Roar met, and that got the ball rolling. Together
they decided to take the plunge and develop the site into an attractive leisure
and activity resort. Our philosophy is based on the main elements of nature,
architecture, food and activity and the way they work together.
Nature
Nature
here is wild and beautiful and practically untouched, both on land and at sea,
and we aim to keep it in as untouched a state as possible. Conservation and
gentle use of the surroundings has been an essential part of the development
process and a deciding factor for all the projects, as we wanted a strong
interaction between nature and architecture and between landscapes and
buildings.
Architecture
In
Middagshaugen, in the hill behind the beach, there were 26 plots allotted to
holiday residences, and in 2003 we
started building the cottages. Our choice of a modern design was not to
everyone’s liking – some liken the cottages to portacabins, while they were
used as an example of successful new European architecture at the Italian
architectural exhibition ‘Architettura e memoria’ in Genoa. The holiday
cottages are sold to private owners, but some of them are also rented out
through us.
In 2005 building work started on The Beach
Bar. Originally meant to be just a shack on the beach, a place for the holiday
makers to meet, it has since started catering for a much wider range of guests.
The Beach Bar is built quite literally on the foundations of an old cement
factory which was started in 1947 and was in business for about 30 years.
The
building consists of large glass panes facing the sea, and on a clear summer’s
night you can just about see the light from Halten Fyr, the Halten light house,
about 16 nautical miles out at sea to the North West. Much of the timber used
comes from our own woods.
In the
autumn of 2008, when the
construction business was grinding to a halt because of the Recession, the
first stone was laid on our latest project, the SUB or subterranean house.
After intensive and hectic building activity throughout the winter, and before
the last coat of paint was even dry, we started using the units in the
beginning of May 2009.
The
inspiration for the new units was the old earth cellars, but we have given them
a far more exclusive feel with glass doors opening out toward the sea. The SUB
units are situated just above the Beach Bar. One of the main reasons why we
chose to dig the building into the sand was to soften the impact on the
landscape around it. The building itself is made primarily from concrete and
glass, but each unit has been decorated with soft furnishings and canvas and a
varied range of interior design elements.
The
architects behind the cottages, the Beach Bar and the Sub units are Ogmund
Sørli and Ragnhild Erdal of the Pir 2 Arkitektkontor.
Food (and drink)
With his
knowledge of local produce, Roar started delivering seafood to good restaurants
in Trondheim and Oslo, and later also as far afield as France and Japan. This
experience, combined with a keen interest in food and a large network of
skilful chefs and food lovers, has made the culinary side of things a strong focal
point in the development of Stokkøya Sjøsenter.
Activities
Nature
itself is the starting point for any and all your activities out here – whether
you are enjoying a good meal while taking in the fantastic view, going for a
walk in the surrounding area, taking a bath in our Dutch tubs or a dip in the
sea or playing about with a dinghy, a kayak or a fishing boat. We intend for
our guests to enjoy and take their time to fully appreciate nature from
wherever they choose to be. And maybe the best way to do it is to do absolutely
nothing …
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