Polestar opens ‘coolest’ pop-up car store ever

The Polestar Snow Space took three weeks to build from 3000 cubic meters of snow. Photos: Polestar

Swedish performance electric car company, Polestar, has opened the ultimate pop-up store made entirely from snow and ice, situated in the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland. 

The Polestar Snow Space is a cube-shaped area that is open until February 26, 2023.

"The purpose of Arctic Design Week is to highlight the arctic and responsible design. We are happy that this message was brought to Rovaniemi in the form of Snow Space and that the work turned out to be so spectacular," says Taina Torvela, producer of the Arctic Design Week and design manager of the city of Rovaniemi.

The Snow Space was designed by Polestar's architects and built by Finnish company Frozen Innovation, and consists of about 3000 cubic meters of snow brought in from the nearby Ounasvaara ski area. One cubic meter weighs almost 800 kilograms, so it is almost as compact as ice, stomped/packed by skiers. 

Inside the Polestar pop-up store was a Polestar 2.

The building stage started with a cover of the base area with a protective snow layer. Then molds made of wood and a steel frame were constructed for the inside and outside walls.

Next, the snow was put in a mold and stomped on it to make it compact until it was 2 metres thick. Once the molds were removed, it was time to finish the surfaces before the ice sculptures were installed.   

The construction of the structure took a total of three weeks.

Inside the Space are displayed the electric fastback Polestar 2 and rims, suspensions, and brakes crafted in ice. All sculptures are made by local artists using ice sourced from Lehtojärvi lake just outside Rovaniemi.

To reduce emissions during the construction work, electric trucks were used to transport snow and other construction materials.

The Polestar Snow Space also had sculptures including rims.