image © janez martincic

OFIS architects and AKT II in collaboration with students at Harvard University Graduate School of Design,Freeapproved and PD Ljubljana Matica, designed a new alpine shelter on Skuta Mountain in Slovenia, which can be seen as a new high-altitude architecture for Mountain Hikers. New small-scaled architecture is a new place for refuges and this transportable module has been worked well with structure engineers AKT II that resists all hard conditions like strong winds, treacherous landslides and heavy snowfalls. The shelter has a specific form including sharp roof to throw out the snow and developed according to the extreme mountain conditions with the low-energy consumption materials to keep the warm air inside. 

image © anze cokl

OFIS Architect’s describes that ''the project developed from an architectural design studio at the Harvard Graduate School of Design led by Rok Oman and Spela Videcnik from OFIS. In fall 2014, studios of thirteen students were facing the challenges of designing an innovative yet practical shelter to meet the needs of the extreme alpine climate.''

''Inspired by the vernacular architecture of Slovenia with its rich and diverse architectural heritage, the students produced twelve proposals meeting various site conditions, material considerations, and programmatic concerns were produced and cataloged.''

image © anze cokl

''The extreme climatic conditions in the mountains introduce a design challenge for architects, engineers and designers. Within a context of extreme risk to environmental forces, it is important to design buildings that can withstand extreme weather, radical temperature shifts, and rugged terrain.'' adds OFIS Architects.

image © anze cokl

''Responding to environmental conditions is not only a protective measure, but also translates into a matter of immediate life safety. The harsh conditions of wind, snow, landslides, terrain, and weather require a response of specific architectural forms and conceptual designs.'' ''120 years after the installation of Aljaz Tower in August of 1985 on Triglav, this new shelter was placed below Mountain Skuta in Kamnik Alps. It is replacing a 50 year old bivouac that had previously been on the site.''

image © andrej gregoric

image © janez martincic

image © andrej gregoric

image © janez martincic

image © andrej gregoric

image © anze cokl

image © anze cokl

> via OFIS architects