Forget the a-frame hut, Czech architects Atelier 8000 have eschewed traditional alpine design for this crazy cube, meant to house snow lovers traveling across Slovakia's High Tratras peaks. The proposed project for a mountain hostel allegedly blends into its landscape because its glass glimmers like the "glints and reflections" "observed on the surface of a mountain lake or on thawing ice." But really, this giant metal Rubik's cube is more fantasy than anything (if not extraterrestrial), and will likely never be built because it was a non-winning entry for this year's Slovakian hut design competition. The interior is all wood and consists of three sections: a snowmobile garage (now that's cool) and ski storage room on the lowest level, a restaurant and deck on the ground floor, and sleeping areas on the upper levels. If slanted windows and cubes are your thing, do take a look.
· Atelier 8000 [Official Site]
· Competition Entry: Atelier 8000 Designs Cuboidal Mountain Hut for Slovakia's High Tatras [Arch Daily]
· Nutty Extraterrestrial Cube Wants to Be a 'Mountain Hut' [Curbed]