Hotel Årjäng's facade gets a boost with colour, art and sustainable materials

Replacing a worn facade 

The old plastered facade of the hotel started to look worn, and after discovering algae growing inside, the owners decided to quickly take action and create a more durable facade. The renovation of the facade, which was carried out by PEAB, for the property owner ÅBAB, began in 2020 and was completed that same year. The hotel was open to guests during the entire renovation.  

An interplay between creativity and function 

Hotel Årjäng is now clad with facade boards from Rockpanel in five different colours that interact harmoniously with each other. On one side of the building, an artwork was routed directly into the boards. The artwork was created by local artist Lena Hautoniemi and it depicts the history of horses, from workhorse to trotting horse. This subject was chosen because the town of Årjäng is known for its trotting track. On the entrance side, Borgåsgumman and Borgåsgubben – well-known statues in the area – were also milled into the facade boards. The facade is also equipped with solar panels. 

Architectural vision 

The architectural firm Tengbom took on the renovation project with enthusiasm. Architect Anki Haasma: “Our goal was to create a rhythmic facade in which the colours of the Rockpanel boards, the integrated solar panels and the windows would interact in a good way. Considering Årjäng's history in trotting, we also thought that the horses on the façade, visible from the main road, were something that would add value to the facade. The sloping triangular volumes facing the square were further accentuated by three shades of red as a contrast to the calmer base in gray and white.” 

A durable facade 

The Rockpanel Colours facade boards are made from stone wool fibres from natural basalt, a durable and readily available volcanic rock, and recycled materials. They are not only fire resilient by nature, but are also UV-resistant, making the colourful facade of Hotel Årjäng last for a long time.  

Örjan Nässlander, CEO of building owner ÅBAB, concludes: “We needed a material that was easy to work with and that’s also very durable, so that we do not end up in the same situation again, with moisture damage inside the wall. We knew Rockpanel's products from other projects in the municipality and think that they give design freedom to the architect, by being able to play with patterns and colours, while at the same time providing the durability we need.”