Cantilevered Cabin: Dizzying Alpine Shelter Hangs Off The Edge Of A Cliff
Photo by Janez Martincic
Even someone brave enough to overcome fears of heights and climb a mountain may not have the stomach to spend the night in this suspended shelter on the edge of a vertigo-inducing abyss. Designed by OFIS Arhitekti, this precariously-perched space sits on Slovenian-Italian border and boasts 360-degree views over the landscapes of both countries. Inside, a series of resting platforms and a few pieces of minimalist rustic decor are the extent of the amenities provided. Continue reading »
Tiny Swiss Cottage Built From Remnants Of An Alpine Log Cabin
Located in Flims Lieptgas in the Swiss Alps, the Refugi Lieptgas is a small cottage with pure concrete and geometry form, backed against a large rock enjoying the extreme beauty of the valley and canyon. Continue reading »
Gigantic Snow Wall Along Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Japan
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is a unique and spectacular route through the Northern Japan Alps, which is traversed by various means of transportation, including cable cars, trolley buses and a ropeway. The route is particularly famous for the high snow walls that line some of its roads in spring. Continue reading »
An Architect Created a Futuristic Alpine Hotel Concept
According to Armin Senoner, Italian architect: “My Diploma is a semiological project applied on the program of a hotel as such reflects very significant difference in terms of comfort demand within the same class. The subclassification into three classes, namely economy, business and superior is a consequence of the social establishment and wealth distribution.” Continue reading »
Alpine Crop Circles: The Snow Art of Simon Beck
Simon Beck has spent a lot of time at Arc2000 in the French Alps this winter, but he hasn’t been skiing. Beck spends his days doing something entirely different: making snow art. Many compare Beck’s work to “crop circles,” but this is not the labor of “aliens” who’ve chosen a wintrier medium. This “snow art” is the work of a lone artist who spends hours trudging around the French ski resort to fashion his designs.
Beck’s intricate creations come in a range of forms from spirals to cubes, snowflakes, and abstract figures. These snowy “crop circles” are created by the simple act of walking in the snow wearing raquettes.
“They aren’t hard to do,” Beck boasts on his snow art page. “Good exercise, yes, but not particularly difficult. I’ve placed it in the walking category as they are made by walking about in snowshoes.”
The Oxford-educated self-employed map maker typically walks for about five hours or until he gets too tired, using a headlamp if it gets dark first. The shapes are created by a kind of reverse orienteering. The main lines and points are surveyed using a sighting compass with distances measured either by pace counting or string. Continue reading »
