Kudos for Norwegian-Indian mountain hut
Local materials, renewable energy reduce environmental impact.
Increasing tourism in the Indian region of Western Ghats, which contains a UNESCO World Heritage site, has raised concerns about the pressure this puts on the environment.
Students from NTNU’s architecture programme participated in an international seminar
on ecotourism in the area, where the goal was to find an approach that would benefit both people and the environment. The result was a mountain hut built using local
materials and powered by renewable energy sources. The hut was designed and built last winter by the students, under the guidance of architects Pasi Aalto and Sami Rintala, both of whom are employed by NTNU. The hut has been featured on several international architecture websites, and has been met with great enthusiasm.
