Hôtel de Glace

Project: Type: Hotel
Location: Saint Gabriel de Valcartier, QC
Marc Northstar’s role: Site visit during CA phase and final completion, reverse engineering, feasibility study
Year: 2025

The Hôtel de Glace is the only ice hotel in North America, situated in the Province of Quebec—an iconic destination renowned for its natural beauty and architectural heritage. Located just miles from the historic center of Quebec City, this seasonal installation offers a rare and immersive encounter with ephemeral architecture. During its construction administration and final completion phases, Marc Northstar conducted an observational site visit to study the spatial and material dynamics of large-scale ice architecture.

Comprising approximately 28 guest rooms—including six uniquely designed thematic suites—the programmatic layout also features an ice bar, outdoor spas and saunas, a grand hall, chapel, dining venue, and open-air terrasse. Reconstructed annually with a new design theme, the Hôtel de Glace showcases the collaborative efforts of international architects and artists, to whom full credit for the architectural and artistic realization is due.

While not involved in the design process, Northstar’s investigation focused on understanding the architectural logic of temporary structures formed entirely from ice: circulation patterns, structural domes, thermal control strategies, and bespoke furnishings—ranging from sculpted beds to monolithic stools—each shaped within the constraints of an impermanent, frozen medium.