Dezeen Magazine

North Pole Igloos hotel by Luxury Action

Portable igloos designed to let holidaymakers sleep at the North Pole

Travel agency Luxury Action is planning to build the "northernmost hotel in the world" by placing a group of heated glass igloos at the North Pole. 

Named North Pole Igloos, the portable pods would each have glass walls and ceilings to allow guests to watch the northern lights play across the Arctic sky at night.

"We have been operating in North Pole for years and it is one of the most exclusive travel destinations on Earth," Janne Honkanen, founder of Luxury Action told Dezeen.

"I thought that this is the time and the opportunity to give a chance for my guests to experience the North Pole with arctic explorers and scientists in a safe way."

North Pole Igloo hotel by Luxury Action
Guests would reach the North Pole via helicopter

Honkanen says the glass North Pole Igloos have been tested under extreme arctic weather conditions.

Weather-permitting, the glass igloos would be moved on to the North Pole in April, so people could sleep on the frozen sea at the top of the world.

April is the month before major polar expeditions start, making it the season when tourists wishing to fly in via helicopter can visit. Even in April the temperatures can drop to minus eight degrees Celsius during the night.

For the other 11 months of the year, the igloos would be placed on a glacier in Svalbard, the archipelago between the North Pole and Norway.

North Pole Igloo hotel by Luxury Action
The pods would be relocated to Svalbard for 11 months of the year

A helicopter would fly guests, along with their security guards, to and from the North Pole from Svalbard.

"All our guests who have been travelling with us are concerned by the climate crisis," said Honkanen. "I believe they are also the best messengers for us in order to spread word of how climate change affects our lives in the arctic."

Climate change is causing Arctic ice to melt, causing rising sea levels and disrupting the ocean currents that keep the planet's weather systems stable.

The Arctic is warming at twice the global rate, and melting sea ice has the potential to cause extreme weather events, scientists are warning. A team of designers has developed a proposal to re-freeze the Arctic, using a submarine-style vessel that could create modular icebergs.

Snøhetta is building a ring-shaped hotel on stilts over a glacial lake in the Arctic Circle that will produce more energy than in consumes.

Images by Luxury Action.