A rock crystal shaped refuge in the Swiss Alps that is actually an energy-absorbing and fully-sustainable hi-tech building. The energy needed is used − what is not, is stored. Windows and energy systems create this state-of-the-art architecture.
Architect:
Photographer:
Head of construction:
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Year of completion: Surface: |
Bearth & Deplazes
Architekten AG
Tonatiuh Ambrosetti
Eidgenössische Technische
Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich)
The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC)
Monte Rosa, Zermatt (CH)
Switzerland
Switzerland
2009
1,154 m2, 120 visitors |
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A rock crystal shaped refuge in the Swiss Alps that is actually an energy-absorbing and fully-sustainable hi-tech building. The energy needed is used − what is not, is stored. Windows and energy systems create this state-of-the-art architecture.
Architect:
Photographer:
Head of construction:
Client/investor:
Location:
Country:
Awards:
Year of completion: Surface: |
Bearth & Deplazes
Architekten AG
Tonatiuh Ambrosetti
Eidgenössische Technische
Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich)
The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC)
Monte Rosa, Zermatt (CH)
Switzerland
Switzerland
2009
1,154 m2, 120 visitors |
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| Site/location
The Monte Rosa Hut is situated at an altitude of 2,883 metres near the small skiing village Zermatt at the foot of the Monte Rosa Mountain (4,634 metres). Zermatt is located in the Alps in the southern part of Switzerland not far from the Italian border. The hut lies at a location called Plattje, the beginning point of the common route to the peak of Monte Rosa and other mountains in the area, like the wellknown, iconic Swiss mountains Breithorn and Matterhorn.
The hut can be reached by the Gornergratbahn from the station at Rotenboden, where a trail leads to the Gorner Glacier. At this point, the glacier has to be crossed (usually marked), at around
2,600 m, with another trail leading directly to the hut. Concept
At first hand the building seems to be designed precisely like a Swiss rock crystal with a multi-shaped metallic facade that captures and absorbs light and energy on its sides – a solution much different from the traditional stone chalets and shelters in the area. The concept is a quite unusual fusion of different elements. A compact, monolith building, with an intelligent energy system, that fits perfectly into the rocky landscape.
However, the lodge is also a theoretical case study on the interface between environment and urbanity. It was not simply a question of designing a sustainable and energy efficient mountain lodge; the intention was rather to increase the awareness of critical dependencies on both careful use of resources and the transferability of the findings obtained on site to the global city and its future development. Therefore, the lodge is conceptually neither a ‘castle in the air’ nor designed after a rock crystal; it represents the concept of sustainability, an analogy to complex constructions such as the life of termites, where structure and population work together as one organism. Materials and construction
The building is constructed on stainless steel foundations with an inner concrete core and a spiral construction; the interior is made exclusively of wood. The polygon shaped exterior is covered with a silver aluminium shell. VELUX roof windows have been used not only on the roof, but also as facade elements together with aluminium and solar panels on a huge facade (120 m2). It is a blend of the latest hightech materials and technology on the one hand and the traditional wooden structures and interior details known from the Alp region on the other.
After construction of the foundations, the computerprocessed, wooden structure elements were assembled on site like a 3-D puzzle - a kind of prototype never undertaken before in Switzerland. All building materials are prefabricated elements, transported by train to Zermatt, from where 3,000 helicopter trips were needed to take 35 workers and the materials up to the glacier. ETH and SAC (The Swiss Alpine Club) describe the construction as “the most complex wooden construction in Switzerland ever”. Function
The Monte Rosa Hut is a mountain hut in Switzerland used as an overnight refuge with a capacity to sleep 120 persons (climbers/hikers/alpinists). The first hut was built in 1895 and after more than a century of enlargements and reconstructions, a completely new building was built in 2003 and inaugurated in September 2009 to mark the 150th anniversary of the ETH Zürich (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich) and replace the old hut. VELUX Schweiz AG has contributed with know-how in the development of the project.
Over the next few years, the hut will also become a research station for students from the university, researching and investigating how to use energy and resources efficiently. The aim is to transfer knowledge and green technologies.
ETH Zürich (founded in 1855) is a highly acclaimed science and technology university in the fields of engineering, architecture, mathematics, natural sciences, system oriented sciences, management and social sciences. The research strategy of ETH Zurich is directed towards global challenges, such as climate changes, and one of its primary concerns is the transfer of knowledge to the private sector and to society in general. Solar energy, ecology and technology
What really makes the Monte Rosa Hut unique is the way in which the different energy systems have been combined, are controlled optimally and react dynamically: The building gains its energy from an overflow of energy. Total carbon emissions from the hut are expected to be just 1/3 of the existing shelter, located 80 meters lower down towards the glacier. Water is produced from glacial melt water, collected and stored in a large reservoir 40 meters above the hut during the summer.
From the conceptual design idea to every functional detail, the hut is a hi-tech, environment-friendly building designed to obtain 90% of its power needs from the sun (16 kW). The remaining 10% is provided by a rapeseed oil system to meet the demand of peak hours. Electricity is used for sewage treatment, ventilation, lighting and household appliances. Through an ultra-modern photovoltaic system integrated into the southern facade all excess energy is stored in valve-regulated lead-acid accumulators, which guarantee power even when the weather is overcast. A zigzag-shaped band of windows plus a number of VELUX roof windows appearing as small ‘holes’ in the facades allow the sun to heat the air inside the spiral building.
To achieve the highest possible degree of energy efficiency, the designers have installed a computerised energy management system, which will be monitored by a scientist based at the federal institute in Zürich. Weather forecasts, expected number of visitors and energy levels will be fed into the computer and compared by mathematical models to optimize interaction between the energy systems. This means that if the weather forecast for the next day is good and about 120 visitors can be expected, the energy level will adjust to this (and other situations likewise). Depending on the needs, the solar, waste and ventilation systems can then be turned on and off automatically. Interior
The hut has five floors built around a spiral interior made completely of wood. Not only the beam and staircase structure, but also the cabins, staircases and built-in furniture (beds and benches) are made of solid wood.
The design of the internal staircase opens spectacular views to the surrounding landscape. Also the dining area, divided into small intimate dining rooms, offers panoramic views. Not only the reflective light, but the mixture of mountain views outside the windows together with fresh, ventilated air indoors, provides a healthy feeling of calm and well-being. The hut is mechanically ventilated, but the windows in the rooms can be opened manually by guests who want to enjoy the fresh mountain air. Interior
The hut has five floors built around a spiral interior made completely of wood. Not only the beam and staircase structure, but also the cabins, staircases and built-in furniture (beds and benches) are made of solid wood.
The design of the internal staircase opens spectacular views to the surrounding landscape. Also the dining area, divided into small intimate dining rooms, offers panoramic views. Not only the reflective light, but the mixture of mountain views outside the windows together with fresh, ventilated air indoors, provides a healthy feeling of calm and well-being. The hut is mechanically ventilated, but the windows in the rooms can be opened manually by guests who want to enjoy the fresh mountain air. Interior
The hut has five floors built around a spiral interior made completely of wood. Not only the beam and staircase structure, but also the cabins, staircases and built-in furniture (beds and benches) are made of solid wood.
The design of the internal staircase opens spectacular views to the surrounding landscape. Also the dining area, divided into small intimate dining rooms, offers panoramic views. Not only the reflective light, but the mixture of mountain views outside the windows together with fresh, ventilated air indoors, provides a healthy feeling of calm and well-being. The hut is mechanically ventilated, but the windows in the rooms can be opened manually by guests who want to enjoy the fresh mountain air.
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