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| Snug snow chalet |
| High-tech features keep this mountain chalet cosy and safe. |
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A chalet on the ski fields needs snow-friendly features to make it liveable in the winter months. It must withstand high winds and freezing conditions. Hotham House, on the ski fields at Mt Hotham in Victoria, is built from western red cedar, which is thermally efficient and has the same insulation qualities as brick.
An open fireplace, together with double insulated walls and floors, creates a warm retreat in a particularly harsh climate. The windows are double glazed and the air between the two sheets of glass has been replaced with nitrogen which, unlike air, doesn't hold moisture. This prevents the windows from fogging up, and there is no sweating between the panes.
At the entrance there's a drying room: essential in this climate to store all the wet snow gear. One of the major difficulties in the alpine region is ensuring that the water pipes don't freeze. To overcome this problem, all the internal pipes are fitted with a recirculating pump. The pump keeps the water moving and injects warm water when the outside temperature drops below two degrees.
Also, the security and heating can be controlled via the phone, so that when you arrive the house is nice and cosy. Outside, if the temperature gets down below six degrees, a heating element in the concrete of the driveway switches on and melts the snow, making it safe for cars to travel on.
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Disclaimer
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