This Remote Norwegian Beach Resort Promises an Eco-Friendly Escape

Sustainable Development

First came the cottages, which started going up in 2002 in an effort to make money and further invest in development while attracting good visitors and neighbors. The 30th was complete in 2018. “In 2005 we built the Beach Bar as a very important means for social life, a place to eat and drink, and a source for income and jobs,” Svenning says.

Today on the coast you’ll also find a multi-purpose building, Bygdebox, with a large conference room, coworking space, bakery, wood workshop, meeting rooms, and more. The area is now the centerpiece of Stokkøya Festival, a music and arts festival that launched in 2018 (pg. 50). It’s all part of the Bygda 2.0 development, which began in 2010.

Designed by Pir II Architects (an award-winning Trondheim firm known for environmental architecture), Bygdebox is one of many examples of how the Stokkøya team is building creatively. All projects in and around the resort implement reused materials as much as possible, Langklopp says. For Bygdebox, the large triangular building near the waterfront, crews used leftover materials from other projects and a nearby ship graveyard. The multi-purpose area used green glass from a demolished government building, facade panels from an old local bank, and leftover doors and windows from other projects. Back at the Stokkøya hotel (less than a 10-minute walk from Bygda 2.0), repurposing was also key when it was built in 2008. “We used a lot of recycled materials to build furniture, and we brought in students to build furniture,” Langklopp says. “We used old sails to make curtains; we picked up things from the ship graveyard to put on the wall.”

Langklopp says sustainable architecture was always part of the resort’s plan, emphasizing that buildings can work with, not against, nature. “We want to have great architecture but without spending lots of money,” she says. “To think and build like this can be a bit more time-consuming in the planning phase, but when doing it, we save the environment, we lower our investments, and it also gives our projects and buildings unique character.”

Being, and Building, Good Neighbors

In early 2019, the first four of eight townhouses began being built on the waterfront. These are being developed in cooperation with local industry actors and the local municipality, and they’ll be available for rent, permanent residence, and artists in residence. The houses are built according to Norwegian Husbanken (the state housing bank) standards, so they must meet passive house standards for favorable loan terms. Called Bygdekanten, meaning “on the edge of the village,” the new housing project aims to show off contemporary architecture in a powerful seaside setting for people who want to live in nature without sacrificing urban amenities like a nice cocktail or live music.

The demand for these houses is clearly there, as three of the first four sold quickly, and Langklopp receives emails every day from people all over the world who are interested in the next four in phase two. She says the buyers and renters are diverse, too, from a man in his 60s to a young, local couple. “That is what we aim for. It’s not for a homogenous group. It should be very diverse.”

The evolution of the community over 10-plus years has been inspiring. When Svenning was a kid, twice as many people lived on the island, and he’s happy to see the population back on the incline. “Seeing good people moving out here is the most satisfying thing,” he says. “That property keeps a good price is also a good indicator that the area is healthy.”

BUILDING A GREEN MUSIC FESTIVAL

On a Friday in July, volunteers scurry to and from the festival stage, campsites, cabins, and boat dock. They’re dressed in red caps in tribute to Jacques Cousteau, and their excitement is palpable. Roughly 1,500 people have come out to the island for Stokkøya Festival, a weekend of music and activities like kayaking, beach yoga, and sustainability workshops. Wenche Bendixvold-Ryjord has managed festivals before, but like all major events, she knew Stokkøya would come with its own set of challenges. “We were especially concerned about how the land, nature, and the environments would handle so many people gathering at a very fragile place,” she says.

From the start, the staff set out to make a plastic-free festival—no Solo cups here. “We were pretty excited about running a sustainable festival, reducing single use plastic by 80% the first year.” The crew also led a composting project, showing festival-goers where their food scraps really went. Water filling stations were plentiful, significantly reducing water bottles. Food at the fest was hyperlocal, too. “The audience embraced the concept and almost made it into a sport cleaning up after themselves,” Bendixvold-Ryjord says, adding that the amount of non-recycled waste totaled less than 1 kilogram per attendee. She says it proves the festival lived by its motto to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and the audience did, too. “People are getting it, they are helping us, and as a result we leave smaller footprints.”