Sweden’s Biosphere is Every Birdwatcher’s Dream Come True

Since 2010, Sweden‘s eco-conscious Treehotel has allowed guests to leave their worries in the city and retreat to a lush forest in the Swedish Lappland which features several striking “cabins”—including a silver UFO which is often shrouded in fog. The latest addition to the Treehotel is an ultra-modern glass cube which is covered with hundreds of wooden birdhouses. Biosphere—as the Treehotel’s latest addition is known—was created by a team of Danish architects who collaborated with an ornithologist to renew the area’s declining bird population.

Guests of Biosphere must cross a suspension bridge in order to gain access to a glass cube which literally grazes the treetops. Biosphere visitors can spend hours observing chickadees, woodpeckers, doves, and countless other birds who have made themselves at home in Biosphere’s bird boxes. Astute observers may even spot the occasional bat or beehive. If you’re lucky, a rare bird—such as a short-toed eagle—may make a fleeting appearance.

Ulf Ohman—a bird specialist who helped design Biosphere—hopes that a trip to the Treehotel will inspire visitors to spearhead their own bird conservation efforts at home, and in their communities. Installing simple wooden boxes that are near foliage and safe from predators goes a long way in bringing endangered birds back from the brink of extinction. A few hours spent listening to a sweet chorus of bird calls while you’re lounging on Biosphere’s state-of-the-art couch will convince you that birds are certainly worth preserving.

The Treehotel was designed so that visitors could foster an appreciation for the beauty, peace, and magic of the natural world. Spending a secluded weekend in a glass cube surrounded by hundreds of different types of birds is a solid reminder that nature never fails to put on a captivating show. Biosphere strikes a harmonious balance between iconic, modern architecture and the enduring beauty of nature.

Photos are the courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group.