In the French department of Haute-Savoie, we can find the Gouter refuge, situated at an altitude of 3817 m in the Mont Blanc massif. It is one of the highest guarded refuges in Europe and with its egg-shaped construction heralds a new generation of buildings
The hut
The first construction goes back to 1858, consisting of a simple hut, but has been rebuilt several times over the past 150 years, as its popularity as a mounting base increased.
It is accessible in about five hours by foot from the station of the Nid d’Aigle in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and from there allows mountaineers to start the second part of the ascent of Mont Blanc, which takes depending on the conditions from five to seven hours in this route known as the legendary Modern route on the French side.
The new hut
Was inaugurated in 2014 with a capacity for 120 people at one time, with an innovative and environmentally-friendly building with four floors adapted to winds that can reach 230km per hour and heavy snowfall. The shape of the refuge allows strong resistance to wind and snow. The exterior of the refuge is made of stainless steel and the interior is coated with wood. The elements were manufactured in a factory and assembled at altitude to create the refuge. An absolute human challenge!
The air is renewed by a double-flow ventilation system which heats the new air by means of a heat exchanger. The surplus is used to melt snow to produce water. The hot water production system consists of 50 m2 of thermal solar collectors located under the shelter, which produce 2,000 liters of hot water. The wastewater is treated by filtration and sterilisation before being released into the environment.
Electricity is produced by 95 m2 of photovoltaic panels installed on the roof and the façade. Seven variotrack vt 65 are charging the lead-gel batteries of 95.71 kWh and three xtender xth 6000-48 are powering the hut. A cogeneration plant is planned to operate as a backup in case of bad weather. An absolute technical and human challenge that challenges nature.
Date:
July 26, 2024
Components:
- 95m2 solar panels
- 50m2 thermal panels
- 95.71kWh lead-gel battery
- 3x xtender inverter/charger xth 6000-48
- 7x variotrack vt 65 charge controllers
- 1x CHP generator
- 1x remote control system rcc 02
- 1x xcom 232i
The customer:
Date:
July 26, 2024
Components:
- 95m2 solar panels
- 50m2 thermal panels
- 95.71kWh lead-gel battery
- 3x xtender inverter/charger xth 6000-48
- 7x variotrack vt 65 charge controllers
- 1x CHP generator
- 1x remote control system rcc 02
- 1x xcom 232i
The customer: