Neue Monte Rosa Hut, Swiss Architecture, Zermatt Building, Architect, Photo, Design
New Monte Rosa Hut : Swiss Building
‘Mountain Crystal’ : Contemporary Swiss Building by ETH Zurich / SAC
21 Jul 2010
New Monte Rosa Hut Switzerland
ETH Zurich and the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) present “hut of the future”
“Hut of the Future”
After six years on the drawing board – two of which as a student project design – and a construction phase spanning two summers, the New Monte Rosa Hut above Zermatt finally opened for business in Sep 2009.
Nicknamed “Mountain Crystal”, the innovative building generates over 90 percent of its energy itself. It is scheduled to start receiving guests normally in March 2010 and will continue to serve ETH Zurich as a research object in power and building service engineering.
2,883 meters above sea level, the New Monte Rosa Hut is currently the most complex wooden construction in Switzerland. Covered in a shimmering silver aluminum shell and with a photovoltaic system integrated in the southern facade, it generates its own power and is expected to be at least 90 percent energy self-sufficient.
photograph : ETH-Studio Monte Rosa/Tonatiuh Ambrosetti
Solar collectors installed in the grounds generate solar heat, which provides warm water and heats the ventilation system’s supply air to control the temperature in the rooms. In the few months of the year where the ice melts, the water is collected and stored in a cavern to provide the guests with flush toilets and four hot showers. A bacteria-based microfiltration system cleans the sewage; the graywater is then reused to flush the toilet and for washing.
Computer in Zurich operates hut technology
Such a high degree of energy self-sufficiency requires the interaction of the individual components and shrewd energy management. Software developed at ETH Zurich is to operate the technology at the hut. The relevant data from the reservation system, energy storage and the weather station, for instance, is conveyed from the hut to a computer at ETH Zurich.
photo : ETH-Studio Monte Rosa/Tonatiuh Ambrosetti
The computer then uses the data to maximize the degree of energy self-efficiency. Any actions subsequently necessary – such as the command to engage the combined heat and power unit if the solar radiation is insufficient to generate enough power – are communicated back to the hut and performed automatically.
Today, representatives of ETH Zurich and the SAC inaugurated the New Monte Rosa Hut together with the general planning team and various patrons and sponsors. Numerous media representatives also took the opportunity to visit the innovative building at the foot of the Dufour Peak overlooking the Matterhorn. The corner stone for the building was laid in August 2008 and the foundations were completed before the onset of winter.
Thanks to prefabricated elements, which were initially transported by train and then flown to the building site by helicopter and assembled on site, the building was completed in the summer of 2009 after just five months. After the inauguration, the 120-bed hut will close for the winter before reopening for alpinists in March 2010; the season lasts until September.
Milestone for sustainable building
With its combination of outstanding architecture and groundbreaking technology, the project heralds a new chapter in sustainable building. ETH Zurich is looking to use it as an example of how marrying excellent architecture with sustainability and state-of-the-art technology can work. For the SAC – with over 120,000 members, one of the biggest sports unions in Switzerland – the building of the new hut is a milestone in its 145-year hut history.
The New Monte Rosa Hut cost about 6.5 million Swiss francs. Apart from the SAC and ETH Zurich, a number of patrons and sponsors also pitched in, without whose support the ambitious project would never have been possible.
Neue Monte Rosa Hut images / information from ETH Zurich
photo : ETH-Studio Monte Rosa/Tonatiuh Ambrosetti
Neue Monte Rosa Hut – Further information
www.neuemonterosahuette.ch
www.ethz.ch
www.sac-cas.ch
Location: Monte Rosa, Zermatt – Swiss Alps, Switzerland, central Europe
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Architecture Walking Tours by e-architect
Another stunning Alps Building on e-architect:
Refuge du Goûter, Saint Gervais Les Bains, France
Design: Déca-Laage + Groupe-H
photo : Gudrun Bergdahl
Refuge du Goûter
Alps Buildings, located in France:
Chalet Dag, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Haute-Savoie, France
Design: Chevallier Architectes
photograph : Alexandre Mermillod Onixstudio.com
Chalet Dag in Chamonix – French Alps Property
Espace Killy Chalet Husky, Val d’Isere, Espace Killy mountain range, French Alps
Design: Jean-Charles Covarel
photograph © Athena Advisors
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The Murezzan, St Moritz
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Une Boîte à Surprise, Arosio, nr Lugano
Design: LANDSarchitetture
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