George’s snow homes!
Architect George Clarke visits some remarkable Alpine spaces…
For this winter special of Amazing Spaces, George Clarke is heading to the Italian, French and Swiss Alps to check out some incredible high-altitude buildings.
‘We visited a mountain restaurant that’s about 9,000m above sea level in the Swiss Alps,’ says George. ‘It’s the most beautiful location I’ve ever filmed in. In Amazing Spaces we tend to do smaller projects, but this one was exceptional, with a 360-degree vantage point. It’s clad in hexagons of aluminium, which look a bit like dragon scales, and the sharp angles reflect the mountains.’
Tough location
Also in Switzerland, George found an eco-friendly cabin.
‘It’s one of my favourite Amazing Spaces projects of all time,’ he reveals. ‘It’s a super-eco building in a really tough mountain location.’
George and his travelling companion, master craftsman Will Hardie, couldn’t resist having a toboggan race while they were in the Alps.
‘I smashed it – Will was demolished!’ he laughs. ‘He was stuck in the 17th century with a traditional timber toboggan, whereas I chose this ugly, super-high-tech sledge – basically, I went for James Bond!
‘This has been my favourite location to film. I love the great outdoors and I love the snow. I’m from the north-east, so I love being freezing cold!’