Self sustainable Monte-Rosa Hut - 2,810 meters above sea level



It’s the Swiss Alpine Club’s new Monte Rosa mountaineer’s hut, and it’s 90% energy self-sufficient.

The new Monte-Rosa Hut is a trendsetting research and development project of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in collaboration with the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) and the Empa. Located amid a glacier landscape, it proves that sustainable building is possible even under those conditions and provides incentives for the Swiss building industry.


84 m2 photovoltaic cells provide the power for wastewater treatment, ventilation, lighting and household appliances. Surplus energy is stored in batteries, guaranteeing an uninterrupted power supply even when the sky is overcast. Thermal solar panels satisfy the requirement for heating and water heating. The use of solar energy also makes numerous fuel shipments by helicopter unnecessary, which in turn leads to further emission reductions.

The autonomous alpine shelter, resides at 2,810 meters above sea level. The four-story building is used by mountaineers, from all over the world as a base camp from which to go on expeditions up the mountains and glaciers. The hut can accommodate up to 125 guests in its restaurant and hostel-like guest rooms. Since the hut is situated at the edge of a glacier and outside of the range of power lines, it was designed to be 90% energy independent and very energy-efficient. The hut was recently completed and at the end of September and has received a Holcim Bronze Award for Sustainable Construction.

Old Building (Monte- Rosa )

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