Under is Europe’s first underwater restaurant designed by Snøhetta. Its rough concrete structure makes it easy for mussels to cling to its surface, acting as an artificial reef.

The lighting design ensures a clear view, a safe experience, and an extraordinary journey for all visitors. With a natural reference to the theme of the restaurant, the interior lighting floats like waves into the room when and where it is needed – a unique feature of the concept Liquid Light®.

More than 400 ceiling‐mounted LED lights are carefully positioned with vertical output in a grid formation. They can be grouped to create various lighting scenarios or be individually controlled to adapt and adjust the lighting and levels to a specific area, e.g. over the tables when night falls, which saves energy, whilst adding light where needed. Because of the minimal amounts of daylight on the seabed 5 meters below the surface, it was crucial to maintain a sense of natural light to create a safe and inviting environment for the visitors and staff.

The lighting experience ensures warmth and intimacy inside the restaurant, without disturbing the view of the wonders beneath the sea. The subsea lighting attracts various species of marine wildlife making them visible from inside the restaurant and helps naturally rinse the sea water and increase biodiversity.

It was fundamental that the lighting scheme met the practical requirements of a naturally dark environment, whilst protecting local wildlife without jeopardising the architectural look and feel of the restaurant.

Client: Stig og Gaute Ubostad
Builder: Stig og Gaute Ubostad
Lighting designer: Light Bureau (Former ÅF Lighting)
Architect: Snøhetta, Norway
Interior designer: Snøhetta, Norway
Electrical designer: Tratec Teknikken AS
Electrical contractor: Tratec Teknikken AS
Lighting supplier: iGuzzini, Nortronic, MakingMatters, Fiberoptisk, Fagerhult, Stokkanlys – Deltalight, Luminator, Atendi.
Photo credit: Tomasz Majewski