Topic: Presentation of the innovative Refuge du Goûter

Tuesday, October 11th - 4.20-4.50pm

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW:

The reconstruction of the Refuge du Goûter on the way to the summit of Mont Blanc, by the French Federation of Alpine Clubs has brought the values of sustainable development to 3’835m
By its size and the altitude, the Refuge is a major undertaking, construction began in summer 2010, and the end of works is planned for June 2012. The refuge is a symbol of what can be done in even the most extreme outdoor environment and will be a resource that the outdoor industry can use.

The ovoid architecture of the project was designed to fit to aesthetical and technical environmental constraints. The structure will be built from local wood and the metal outer casing is made of stainless steel parts, designed to withstand sustained winds of 240 km/h and wide temperature fluctuations.

At the heart of the project, the wood structure of spruce will be locally sourced, to reduce the CO2 emissions related to transportation, if possible from St-Gervais that has the PEFC label for sustainable forest management.

The rest of the construction method is based on prefabricated Modules, which reduces the transport pollution, a saving of 30% on helicopter loads and keeps building waste to a minimum. The assemblies will be made of mini borders rods glued together by wood tar. All adhesives used are formaldehyde-free and biodegradable. The wood ceilings are formed by easy to transport hollow light boxes,. The façade and roof insulation will be made with panels in recycled wood fiber which accumulates the heat during the day and releases it slowly at night. The wall cladding will be of brushed stainless steel with low reflectivity. The external windows of wood and aluminum will be double-glass panes with an argon filler. The architecture and engineering designers are Thomas Buchi and Hervé Dessimoz and this innovative building has been built to ISO 9001 standards.

Learn more about the reconstruction of the Refuge du Gouter.

French Federation of Alpine Club
The federation represents 280 clubs and over 80,000 members.
Hosted by 5,000 volunteers, it aims to:
- Group the practitioners of outdoor activities in mountain, mountaineering, rock climbing, skiing in all its forms, paragliding, mountain biking,
- Protect the environment in which these activities are exercised,
- Provide the training and to promote these practices.
French Alpine Club owns hundreds of mountain shelters where it manages the operation and building maintenance. In its contribution to regional tourism the French Alpine Club renovated 20 buildings between 2008 and 2009.

Group H

Hervé Dessimoz and Thomas Buschi are both working for the Group H, which is a architectural design business that pools together engineering expertise in design, urban planning, engineering, physics and technical building. The 36 employees consult on the design and construction of any project planning or land use, development and environmental protection, demolition or renovation of exisiting buildings and the construction of new buildings. Group H has an international network  and is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

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