To develop a truly contemporary and sustainable mountain hut, the ETH and the Swiss Alpine Club have put their heads together and created a unique new hut design concept for the Monte Rosa, with an ambitious target of 90 percent energy self-sufficiency… What’s been described as an “exceptionally innovative architectural point of view,” the hut will occupy an area 2,883 meters up in the Swiss Alps, overlooking the pristine landscapes, the awe-inspiring glaciers of Gorner of Grenz, and the Matterhorn. The project is expected to pave the way for a whole new concept in high-altitude construction. Building began in the summer of 2008, starting by anchoring the hut’s steel foundations in partially blasted rock. The facade itself is ultra-modern, resembling shards of rock crystal rising from amongst the snow. Interior walls and ceilings are of wood in this four-level structure. “But the new hut is not intended to convince in aesthetic terms alone, but above all through its resource- and energy-friendly construction and operation.” A fascinating sustainable mountain hut design, indeed … these are the energy sources that will be utilized:
-photovoltaic plant built into the south facade of the building
-valve-regulated lead-acid accumulators
-rapeseed oilfired combined heat and power plant
-thermal energy recovered from waste air
-heat emitted by people also makes a considerable contribution
-thermal solar collectors
Neue Monte Rosa-Hutte SAC.
