In the Academy Award-winning sci-fi thriller, Ex Machina, the story takes place in the luxurious, isolated home of antagonist and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman.
In reality, the film’s ‘home’ is better known as the Juvet Landscape Hotel, situated within a nature reserve in northwestern Norway.
The architects behind the Juvet Landscape Hotel, Jensen & Skodvin, wanted to create a hotel that would not intrude upon nature, but rather exist in harmony with the landscape of which it is a part.
The hotel consists of nine detached rooms that are sited separately, each with a unique perspective on the rugged landscape. In addition, there is the opportunity to stay in the old buildings on the farm – the mill house, the barn and the authentically restored farmhouse – while meals are served communally in the old barn.
The architects envisioned a landscape hotel that would blend in with the natural environment. The result is seven small “cubes” on stilts, with glass walls that offer each space a striking view of the valley, the river, the courtyard or the dramatic gorge below. All the rooms have a dark interior to avoid stealing focus from the scenery.
The site for the hotel is a nature reserve. After extensive negotiations with conservation authorities, permission was eventually granted for a plan allowing a maximum of 28 rooms to be built without the need for rock blasting or alterations to the terrain.
Some of the home’s interiors in the film, like the living room (with the natural rock face for a wall), were shot at a separate location; a private summer house, also designed by Jensen & Skodvin.
