Construction of the building was completed in September 2009 and the New Monte Rosa Hut SAC opened to the public in March 2010. 2,883 meters above sea level, the New Monte Rosa Hut is currently the most complex wooden construction in Switzerland. Covered in a shimmering silver aluminum shell and with a photovoltaic system integrated in the southern façade, it generates its own power and is expected to be at least 90% energy self-sufficient (excluding cooking).

Winners of the second European Holcim Awards competition for projects and visions in sustainable construction were announced at a ceremony in Madrid. Total prize money of USD 270,000 was presented to ten projects that demonstrate the latest in eco-friendly and sustainable approaches from the building and construction industry.

The new Monte Rosa hut at an altitude of 2,883m above sea level and surrounded by the highest peaks of the Swiss Alps is extremely inspiring not only due to its glittering crystal shape but even more with regard to its convincing demonstration of state of the art technology. On the one hand, all the façade and load-bearing elements as well as the interior partition walls are the results of computer-aided design and computer-integrated manufacturing in a way that material consumption and transport weight are reduced to an absolute minimum. In addition, this innovative production technology facilitates the construction of the various elements and therefore cuts substantially on-site building time. 

Beside the Monte Rosa glacier in the Swiss Alps, the Autonomous alpine shelter, Monte Rosa hut has been built by a partnership led by ETH Zurich. The project of the Swiss Alpine Club, to mark the 150th anniversary of the ETH Zürich, was launched in 2003. In splendid isolation, the building operates under extreme climatic conditions, is fully self-sufficient, and demonstrates that sustainable construction is possible anywhere.