Honorable Mention
2023 Skyscraper Competition

Sun Tengxin, Ma Rongzhao, Wang Xiaoyu, Zhang Yulin, Zhang Yue
China

The village of Guttannen lies at the foot of the Alps in Switzerland. It is rich in forest and glacier resources. Here, our building follows the seasonal changes of local glaciers and forests, integrating nature to form the co-metabolism of glaciers, woods and human dwelling.
In winter, water of the upstream river is guided and solidified at the foot of the mountain to form artificial glaciers, which becomes a winter residence for people to live and do ice climbing. In summer, the natural melting of the glacier breeds the local rivers and ponds, irrigating the downstream woods. Meanwhile, trees which are cut down to balance the growth of different tree species will constitute the summer residence. These timber parts will soon be removed and burned to heat the building in winter.

Glaciers and wood work together, and with the alternation of the winter and summer building, the dynamic regulation of the entire local ecosystem circulation is emphasized, the possibility of poetic dwelling is presented.

Form
The form of the winter building unit resembles the igloo of the Eskimo, while the form of the summer building unit is derived from the prototype of “home”. Both forms are intended to evoke people’s feelings about home, providing them with the experience of dwelling comfortably and poetically in the nature.

Techniques
The building grows horizontally in winter，embedding the steep mountain. The building extends horizontally in summer, becoming a continuation of the mountain.Referencing Chinese mortise and braided wooden arch bridges, ingenious variable structures are designed to achieve the transition between winter and summer buildings.