Eco-friendly architecture in the Alps hits new heights

Attitudes to Alpine wilderness have changed in the 150 years since the Matterhorn was first climbed: these cutting-edge new buildings treat the mountains gently, while still looking great

This year is the 150th anniversary of the conquest of the Alps' last major peaks, including the Grandes Jorasses and the Matterhorn - the culmination of a five-year flurry of Alpine first ascents. While these feats are being celebrated throughout the winter in a number of fascinating exhibitions, particularly in the Chamonix valley, it perhaps sounds odd now to talk of "conquests" in relation to nature. We have - sadly - effectively conquered her, and are awaiting the blowback of climate change: mountains are crumbling at alarming rates, glaciers are receding, whole valleys are being cut off by landslides. But a new, gentle approach to the high mountains is in evidence in a range of recent buildings that give both expert climbers and the general public the chance to understand these changes without leaving a heavy footprint. Some are remote, cutting-edge, autonomous, space-age pods accessed only by risky ascents in technical gear; others you can go and see in your flip-flops.