Kežmarská Hut

Year2014

CategoryCompetition

LocationHigh Tatras, Slovakia

StatusDesign

Kežmarská Hut in the High Tatras is designed as a striking standalone building whose form and siting respond to the dramatic character of the mountain landscape.

The basic mass is a pure cube balanced on one of its corners, which makes the building appear light and almost random, like an erratic boulder left behind by a retreating glacier. Its sharp edges enter into dialogue with the lines of the surrounding peaks and rocks, and from every angle three faces of the façade are visible, with light and shadow shifting across them much as they do across the mountain terrain.

Glazing, photovoltaic panels and finely transparent metal cladding add reflections and mirroring to the building, recalling the surface of a mountain tarn or melting ice.

The glued laminated red spruce structure provides a natural material contrast to the precise geometric form of the building.

Design team	Martin Krupauer Pavel Kvintus Martin Sedmák Petr Hornát

Part of the Mountain Panorama

Seen from a distance, the sharp edges of the building meet the lines of the surrounding peaks and rocks, so that the building blends naturally into the panorama.

Thanks to its siting, three faces of the façade can be read from every viewpoint, supporting a play of light and shadow similar to that of the surrounding rocky terrain.

Timber as a Frame for the Landscape

The interior is designed in warm, light tones of wood, creating a calm and cosy refuge in contrast to the harsh mountain environment.

The timber surfaces seamlessly frame the generous glazed openings and draw attention to the views of the surrounding landscape. The boundary between interior and exterior is thus visually softened, and the panorama of the Tatras becomes a natural part of the interior.

Reflection and Material

The glazed windows, photovoltaic panels and the subtle transparency of the metal cladding add reflections, glints and mirroring to the building, recalling the surface of a mountain tarn or melting ice.

The structure is designed in glued laminated red spruce, which brings a natural material contrast to the precise geometric form of the building.