Atop one of the seven summits sits, at 4,000 meters in altitude, the new eco-hotel located on the Southern side of Mount Elbrus, Russia: LEAPrus 3912. The building resembles a space station with its three separate LEAPs1 units and two newly-designed s2 units in tube form.
Stefano Testa, one of the two founders of LEAPfactory, described the most innovative aspect of the building as such: “Being able to realize a comfortable and efficient refuge on Mount Elbrus, in Kabardino Balkaria, at 4,000 meters above sea level, in the middle of an endless glacier, in just one season.”
A team of highly trained technicians waited on the slopes of Mount Elbrus for the modules to be transported by helicopter. Italian Research Company for design solutions, LEAPfactory, completed the eco-hotel in September 2013.
Environmental sustainability remains a hot topic. The research team dug deep to render this project suitable for such an intense climate, all while maintaining a tourist-friendly atmosphere. LEAP’s structural shells provide energy-reduced lighting, heating and indoor air treatment; they also contain a system for monitoring and remote management for all devices. This has been made possible through the use of a stand-alone hybrid system, which produces highly efficient energy, and “an innovative park for the ecological accumulation of sodium.”
The research team designed a sewage treatment plant specifically to work at high altitudes. LEAPecoR almost completely eliminates the dispersion of organic pollutants into the environment. After a quick ride with a medium-sized helicopter, depending on location, the ecoR is locked to the ground by mechanical fastening in a few hours. The ecoR can house various depuration systems depending on applications desired and allows for optimal sizing of the equipment based on the volumes of waste to be treated.
