The weather (or meteorological) station was originally built in 1931 in Grumant. However later in 1933 it was relocated to Barentsburg. The initial building was completely destroyed by the war, so the current building structure is still not the original one. In the last years of its use год, two families of meteorologists lived there and maintained the household for about 20 years, before moving to another place. Since then, its condition has gradually deteriorated. Today in 2025, to the great regret of the locals the Weather Station is literally crumbling . It urgently needs a new function for a new life.

Object name: The Guest House by the sea
Location: Barentsburg, Svalbard
Function: tourist accomodation/guest house
Number of floors: 2 floors
Building area: 385 m2
Authors: Maria Apostolova, Alina Kozonova, Polina Timoshchenko, Elisaveta Chuvilkina

Time and the harsh climate have left their marks on the building and made it unsuitable for life. Numerous structural and decorative elements were lost or damaged. Given the current state of the building, it will most likely have to be completely rebuilt. In this regard, guided by the principles of the Venice Charter, we propose the following plan for reconstruction:

• to restore the building with adapting it to a new function
• to maintain the legend of the “weather station”
• to design new elements that restore the architectural integrity, but not to imitate the past
• to replace the lost parts of the Weather Station with similar architectural typology

Due to its location, the Weather Station can become a place connecting the sea and the settlement, as well as integrate the port area of Barentsburg in the urban context and create a new community of active sea tourists. It will become a meeting point between the coast and the sea.

The ground floor layout planning reflects the main idea of the new Weather Station - a meeting of settlement residents and sailors who came to the city on sailing ships. There are two entrances - from the urban and the coastal sides of the settlement. For each group of tourists, changing rooms and bathrooms are provided, a shared kitchen and a sitting room are a communal space for interaction. The first floor is a quiet recreation area.

Barentsburg is located in a bay open to the winds, which can generate strong waves. Due to this, constructing a breakwater is necessary for safe parking of yachts in the port. It would dampen the waves, creating a calm area near the pontoon.