Mountain hut Monte Rosa in Valais by ETH Zurich students

At the end of September, a new mountain hut resembling a shiny crystal in shape was opened in the glacial area of the Swiss canton of Wallis/Valais. The hut, with a stunning view of the panorama of the Monte Rosa mountain massif, Gornergrat, and Matterhorn, was created based on the project "Studia Monte Rosa" by ETH Zurich and was built through a joint effort of the technical university and the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC).
The wooden structure nicknamed "mountain crystal" was completed after a year of construction work and will welcome its first guests as early as March 2010. Located at an altitude of 2,700 meters, the building will continue to serve ETH Zurich as a research facility in the fields of energy and building technology. The hut, with a capacity of 120 beds, features showers with hot water on each floor and a dining area on the first above-ground level.
The polygonal energy self-sufficient structure, when viewed from above, resembles a polished rock and, from below, looks like a tower clad in shimmering aluminum sheeting. Photovoltaic panels that generate enough electricity for the hut are mounted on the southern façade. The total cost of building the Monte Rosa mountain hut was 6.5 million Swiss francs.