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"The best hut I have ever seen" --- New Monte Rosa hut opens
:: 09 October, 2009
People, sun, mountains soaring over 4,000 metres high and the aluminium shell of the new Monte Rosa hut - everything was beaming. And now it's open! Last Friday, the building was officially opened, watched by the media, sponsors, ETH representatives and the companies involved in the building work. Everyone agreed: the crystal-shaped hut is a crown jewel.
Interest in the new Monte Rosa hut, a joint project between ETH Zürich and the Swiss Alpine Association (SAC), was overwhelming. Around 40 media representatives took part in the official opening, including numerous foreign newspapers, television and radio stations. They all wanted to take a closer look at the extraordinary mountain hut, which was presented to the media on Friday 25th September. On Saturday, patrons and sponsors were finally given an opportunity to set foot in the hut.
Beacon for the Valais and Switzerland :
The mood at the media conference was unmistakeable. All speakers from the ranks of the project partners praised the hut as a milestone for high alpine building, emphasised the challenge posed by building at such a great height and the role model that the new hut will become.
Jean-Michel Cina, Member of the Cantonal Council of Valais said that the new Monte Rosa hut is simply “the best mountain hut I have ever seen.” He thanked the “14th district of Valais”, i.e. the rest of Switzerland, for this “massive gift”, something he also sees as a responsibility. “The hut is a beacon project for the Valais region”, the councillor said. Kaspar Wenger, CEO of Holcim Switzerland, spoke of a model for Switzerland as a centre for technological and economic innovation. “We have started a new chapter in high alpine construction”, he said.
Roman Boutellier, Vice President Human Resources and Infrastructure at ETH, said that this hut is a cross-border project, typical of the ethos of alpinism. For ETH it was important that the project brought people together that would have otherwise never met and that it generated enthusiasm on all levels. He suggested that no time should be lost in broadening the application of the scientific discoveries made during the project. “The ideas from up here can be applied right now to building work in the lowlands”, said Boutellier.
A challenge for the SAC :
Reto Jenatsch, President of the Hut Commission for the Swiss Alpine Association SAC, was also full of enthusiasm for the new lodge for mountaineers. He thinks it is a success in terms of its shape, function and the way in which it is equipped, particularly in terms of energy supply and water management. The building costs, however, were borderline. The SAC is not able to build further huts at such a high standard at the moment. “The challenge for the SAC is to deal with the growing expectations for comfort in the mountain huts.”
Particularly when compared to older SAC huts, the new Monte Rosa hut is absolute luxury. The rooms hold a maximum of eight people. The hut has several hot showers, washbasins, toilets and urinals. Melt water and rainwater is collected in a cavern that holds 200,000 litres. A pressure pipeline pumps the water to the hut, where it is treated after use and recycled as flushing water for the toilets. The only water leaving the hut is treated beforehand to conserve the fragile biosphere of the high alpine environment.
Power from the sun :
The Monte Rosa hut is completely up to date in terms of utilities management and energy. The power for light and the kitchen is produced by a solar power system, mounted to the south side at the most optimum angle to the sun. Solar panels, mounted below the house on a cliff edge, produce warm water for the showers. The hut is 90% self-sufficient. The remaining 10 percent are made up by a combined heating and power station in the cellar, which can be switched on if there are any shortages.
In the afternoon, the media, project staff and sponsors were able to see the success of the building for themselves. During their flying visit, the face of the Monte Rosa hut glistened in the sunlight. However, the visitors weren’t just impressed by the outer appearance. The elegant interior of the upper floor, the dining room with its digitally manufactured timber carvings and the incredible view – all simply breathtaking.
Tough times on the building site:
The building work cost 6.5 million Swiss francs. The SAC contributed 2.15 million, with the rest being made up by sponsors and patrons, lead primarily by Holcim, the electronics group Alpique and the Federal Office for Environment (BAFU). In total, over 30 sponsors contributed to the construction of the mountain hut.
The building phase only took 21 weeks. It began in early May, with the foundation stone and the steel supporting structure put in place a year earlier. In order to make the most of the short alpine summer, the wooden components were prefabricated in the valley from local spruce in a computer-controlled process and flown by helicopter to the building site from Riffelboden. The builders then assembled the parts like a jigsaw, direct from the helicopter. The builders were able to have the topping-out ceremony as early as the 2nd July.
The opening means the tough time for the builders is over. Some were working at that height all season and lived in the old Monte Rosa hut. “Everyone gave 200 percent so we could reach the goal”, said site manager Hans Zurniwen. It was important to carefully select the companies and have the right people on site for the building work to go ahead. “Everyone supported each other”, he recalls. Another important factor: the weather. They were lucky. Very lucky, actually.
The turn of the control specialist:
Research at the hut is continuing. The driver for the utilities management system, programmed by ETH postgraduate Samuel Fux from the Measurement and Control Engineering Institute, has not been implemented yet. Occupancy and weather data will also be included so that energy management can be optimised to achieve the high level of self-sufficiency of the hut.
Mountaineers will also have to have a little patience before being allowed to experience the hut. It will soon be closed for the winter and not reopened until March 2010 for the beginning of the ski tour season. However, several people have already used the official opening as an opportunity to stay in the mountain crystal overnight.
From the idea to the hut:
In 2003, Rose Marie Eberle, wife of project manager Meinrad Eberle, touched on the idea of building a new SAC hut. In the end, this was used as the anniversary project for ETH Zürich’s 150-year anniversary. In order to further develop the idea, architecture professor Andrea Deplazes founded the “ETH Studio Monte Rosa” in winter 03/04. 33 ETH students were involved in planning the project in its now completed form over the course of four semesters. At the end of April 2005, the SAC approved the project as operator of the hut. Once the majority of the financial support had been secured in 2007, the foundation stone was placed in August 2008. In autumn 2009, the project management team was able to hand over the Monte Rosa hut to the SAC for operation. The new Monte Rosa hut is the 50th completed project for ETH’s 150-year anniversary.
Hut facts:
2890 m above sea level, 5 floors, 18 rooms for guests and mountain guides, 120 beds and 10 reserve beds. 4 toilet systems, 2 washrooms with 14 wash basins and 4 showers, 200,000 litre cavern, 110 m2 photovoltaics, of which 84 m2 on the south face, 60.5 m2 thermal panels. Max. power of photovoltaics: 15.6 kW.
Release link: http://www.ethlife.ethz.ch/archive_articles/090925_neue_huette_eroeffnung_per/index_EN
Tags: Monte Rosa hut , ETH , Swiss Alpine Association ,
