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Operazione co-finanziata dall’Unione europea, Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale, dallo Stato Italiano, dalla Confederazione elvetica e dai Cantoni nell’ambito del Programma di Cooperazione Interreg V-A Italia-Svizzera

Monte Rosa Hut

renovation

conservation area

Bearth & Deplazes Architekten AG
Building use: 
receptive
IPV architectural system: 
warm façade
IPV integration year: 
between 2006 and 2010
Source: 
BIPV meets History project

Monte Rosa Hut

3920 Zermatt, Switzerland

Introduction

Stakeholders

Design approach

Aesthetic integration

Energy integration

Technology integration

Data

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The Monte Rosa Hut is in the Zermatt area, a well-known tourist location, as it is a starting point for ice excursions and mountaineers who wish to climb Dufourspitze, the second-highest mountain in the Alps. It is a five-story building that resembles a crystal, and the south-facing walls have integrated photovoltaic modules.

STAKEHOLDERS

Main building designer: 

Bearth & Deplazes Architekten AG

IPV components producer: 

3S Swiss Solar Solutions AG

Product type: 
modules
mounting systems
Address: 
Schorenstrasse 39, Thun, Switzerland
Contact: 
info@3s-solar.swiss +41 332242500
Web: 
https://www.3s-solar.swiss/it/?hsLang=it

The old refuge on Monte Rosa, which has been demolished, operated on oil and coal. The new refuge was created with futuristic architecture and cutting-edge technology. It has a high level of energy demand coverage (90%), which is necessary given the extreme conditions in the area and the distance from the city's electrical and water mains. The refuge collects dissolved water from the glaciers, reusing it several times for different uses and returning part of it to the environment as purified water. A controlled ventilation system ensures no heat is lost by warming the incoming air using energy taken from the outgoing air.

The photovoltaic modules cover an entire section of the south wall of the building, and their dark colour sets them apart from the rest of the aluminium surfaces.

The photovoltaic plant interacts with the building's other systems. This provides electricity for the waste treatment and wastewater system, controlled ventilation, lighting, and appliances. Harmful emissions are minimised thanks to the photovoltaic system (23 tonnes of CO2 prevented), the CHP cogeneration system, and other measures. 60.5 m2 of thermal solar collectors are installed on the structure. Along with the photovoltaic system, these cover the heating and domestic hot water production demands.

The photovoltaic modules cover a surface area of 122 m2 on the building's southern façade. They are arranged on a sloped surface to capture the maximum solar radiation.

PROJECT DATA

Project type: 
renovation
Heritage constraint: 
conservation area
Building construction technique: 
postwar
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BIPV SYSTEM DATA
Architectural system: 
Warm façade
Integration year: 
2009
Active material: 
Monocrystalline silicon
Module transparency: 
opaque
Module technology: 
glass-glass, hidden PV, customized modules
System area [m²]: 
122
Modules orientation: 
South
Modules tilt [°]: 
75
IPV components producer: 

3S Swiss Solar Solutions AG

Product type: 
modules
mounting systems
Address: 
Schorenstrasse 39, Thun, Switzerland
Contact: 
info@3s-solar.swiss +41 332242500
Web: 
https://www.3s-solar.swiss/it/?hsLang=it
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3920 Zermatt, Switzerland
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Eurac Research