Lovegrove Studio, the London-based office of designer Ross Lovegrove, have designed a mountain living unit called Alpine Capsule.
The proposed capsule has a diameter of eight metres, is made from acrylic with a reflective coating and has a 360 degree view.
Photovoltaic technology and vertical wind turbines provide power for the capsule, where visitors can stay overnight in the Italian Alps.
The project will be officially presented by Ross Lovegrove at Alta Badia, Italy, in December and construction will begin in 2010.
Update: more images and information in our more recent story.
Here’s some more information from Lovegrove Studio:
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ALPINE CAPSULE
The Alpine Capsule, designed by Lovegrove Studio in London, will be located in Piz la Ila (Alta Badia, Italy) at 2100 meters of altitude, surrounded by the beautiful frame of the Dolomites.
The Alpine Capsule will be a compact living unit offering the opportunity of overnight stays giving a spectacular 360-degree view while admiring the stars and the surrounding environment.
Featuring an approximate diameter of 8 meters the external envelope will have a double acrylic structural skin, coated with a special mirror finish: as a result the external surface of the Alpine Capsule will reflect the surrounding environment, de-materializing its appearance. From the inside the guests will be able to appreciate the panorama under any weather condition.
The Alpine Capsule will be completely “off-the-grid” and energy independent; the necessary energy will be supplied by external “power plants”, using solar photovoltaic technology integrated with vertical wind turbines.
The interior will create a seamless, soft three-dimensional environment allowing the guests to relax and experience the Dolomites in a whole new different way. The project will commence on site in the beginning of 2010.
More about Ross Lovegrove on Dezeen:
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Posted by Rose Etherington
November 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Maybe the night vision is not so clear to understand, but overall, the idea of cosmic shelter is AWESOME!
November 17th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
this is ridiculous
November 17th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
archigram???
Anish Kapoor??
but definitely missing a St-bernard
November 17th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
this is the first design in a long tim by him that I actually rather like!! Bet it will not be free to stay in the pod…. gonna be top dollar $$$ !
November 17th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
i dig it
November 17th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Where’s the door?
Although its an appealing thought to lie butt-naked
in a plastic bubble all day,
on the other hand…this is a pretty useless idea.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
must also book for an Avalanche tour in the capsule!
November 17th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
i would be curled in a fetal position too if somebody put me in a glass ball on top of a snowy peak
November 17th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Beautiful! I would pay a lot of money to spend a night with my wife looking at the stars!
All the pictures are clean and nice…but the night view, almost pointless.
Keep going guys!
November 17th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
is Lovegrove producing something else than pixels ???
November 17th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
this is very well-matched with Alps.. Snowball form. It just completely fits..
November 17th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
There are many other design considerations for this dwelling, other then a 360 view. The heat given off by the dwellers would melt snow and make this pod always dirty. Without a solid base, and good location; this could become the shattering inhabited snowball from hell. This is why I rather enjoy seeing drawings and diagrams of how a designer has thought all the scenarios out.
Conceptually it is a lovely idea. In terms of design, it has a lot left to consider. Maintenance, UV, atmosphere, thermal differences, weather conditions, nature. Animals tend to really hate their own reflections. I imagine mountain goats and birds will have the hardest time with this. I would also love to see how you maintain a 360 view and include a door that matches the scheme as honestly as possible.
I am excited though for the results of this concept. Hopefully their design has much more thought then these rendered images. I thought organic environments were anything BUT smooth.
November 18th, 2008 at 2:56 am
aesthetics do not make architecture! but industrial design?
November 18th, 2008 at 5:34 am
it’s a big drop of mercury.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Chicago Cloud Gate anyone?
http://www.millenniumpark.org/artandarchitecture/cloud_gate.html
November 18th, 2008 at 8:10 am
great inspirational designs
November 18th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Tis is how future has been in the past, now I see it as DESIGNED! I want to see it in real on there…
November 18th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Ahhhhhhh! relief/peace/great
November 18th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
and when the sun`s light will touch the delicate object…… everything will burn.
November 19th, 2008 at 4:30 am
It will be interesting to see how this concept becomes reality. Whilst the concept is great I suspect the actual building will be fraught with compromises, the door, as Michael mentions will be one, but there will also need to be something holding all those glass pieces together which are not going to be invisible…. unless of course, its one giant glass part.
November 19th, 2008 at 11:43 am
“…the external surface of the capsule will reflects the surrounding environment, de-materializing its appearance.”
Does anybody still believe in that? C’mon, just look at our cities today… Architects, open your eyes. It will be irritatingly shinning on clear days (which happens freaquently at this altitude).
And what about air circulation, room temperature, ambiental impact and building stability? Not to mention protection from the sun, it can be pretty strong in the mountains…
Anyway, the night view must be awsome.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
well, better than d’ Car on a Stick
November 21st, 2008 at 8:25 am
Just like a blob of Mercury on virgin snow. It hurts.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
cfr anish kapoor @ chicago …
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Something similar/same:
http://www.wernersobek.de/index.php?page=251&modaction=detail&modid=156
December 5th, 2008 at 11:26 am
So often things get lost in the search for a complicated “big picture”. These images please less because of a “grand design” or some “new aesthetic”, but because the capsule looks interesting–and even fun.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
Is it meant to be there for a while? It looks very delicate.
March 6th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
If I find it walking by Alps, I ´d brake it