Aluminium-clad Mountain Hut

The new Seethalerhütte mountain hut, completed in 2019, is located below the Hoher Dachstein mountain on the edge of the Hallstatt glacier in Austria. The design is by the Innsbruck-based firm Dreiplus Architekten. The new building is integrated into the rugged landscape like a rock. This is mainly due to the homogeneous building envelope made of Prefa FX.12 roof and facade panels in the colour P.10 stone grey. The aluminium panels withstand the snow loads, wind loads up to 160 km/h and extreme cold conditions on the mountain.

A prefabricated solid wood construction forms the underlying structure. The cubature also follows functional requirements. The south facade, for example, has precisely the right angle of inclination for optimal alignment of the photovoltaic system. The sloping outer wall surfaces, in turn, help to ensure that rainwater can be directed into fresh water tanks. In addition, the shape of the building was optimised so that the floor space could be kept as small as possible. The construction process on the exposed rock at an altitude of 2740 m too proved far from straightforward. Most of the work was done in the valley, with the prefabricated material being transported by helicopter and cable car and joined on site.

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