New building instead of renovation Mountaineers rage against the demolition of the Cavardiras hut

Dispute over the fate of the Cavardiras hut in the upper Surselva: a new building is to be constructed for around 2.8 million francs. Supporters of a renovation don't like it at all.

It is located at 2649 meters above sea level and was built almost 100 years ago: The Cavardiras hut above Disentis GR. Now, however, it no longer meets the demands of young mountaineers - and is to be modernized. However, a major dispute has broken out in the Winterthur section of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) as to how - with one winner: the proponents of demolition have been able to prevail, as reported by the "Landbote" newspaper.

According to the report, only the foundations and basement of the old hut in the upper Surselva are to be retained. Construction work is expected to start in 2026, with the SAC estimating costs of around 2.8 million Swiss francs

However, the Alpine Club's plans have met with little approval from traditionalists, some of whom are former members of the hut team. They reject the new building as disproportionate. However, a motion to this effect was rejected at the extraordinary meeting of the SAC Winterthur section at the end of January.

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Renovation supporters fail

The opponents called for the consideration of a gentle renovation as an alternative to the new building, but did not receive a majority with 30 votes in favour and 90 against. The hut was actually due to be renovated in 2020. The board in Winterthur had decided on a complete renovation and launched an architectural competition - the construction costs had already been approved.

However, when the building was thoroughly examined by experts, the building fabric turned out to be a problem. The costs rose to over 3.8 million francs. So now the demolition after all.

Opponents of the project sharply criticized the plans at the meeting - there was talk of "waste of resources". Demolition and the associated helicopter flights are not sustainable and contradict the ecological goals of the SAC. After all, the Alpine Club wants to reduce its CO2 emissions to net zero by 2040. According to its supporters, however, no helicopter flights would be necessary in the event of a gentle renovation.

Refurbishment encounters obstacles

In principle, SAC huts are renovated rather than newly built. But this is not always possible. In the case of the Cavardiras hut, there are also obstacles to renovation, which are still being disputed. According to Hans Peter Boller, SAC Vice President in Winterthur, the load-bearing wooden frame construction has been attacked by moisture. However, renovating this would be very costly due to building regulations. "If you replace just one beam, you have to adapt the statics of the entire roof to the current standards," says Boller.

Timber constructor Sepp Bissig from Altdorf takes a different view. His company has been building in the high mountains for over forty years. Bissig knows the Cavardiras hut well and examined it during the preliminary project phase. He also describes demolition as "disproportionate". This is because the damage to the wooden structure is only localized, but not serious. "The building structure is still intact and a conversion or renovation of the existing structure would be feasible," says Bissig.

The project manager for the hut renovation, Thury Senn, counters with the assessment of a building physicist. He spoke of a "faulty construction of the hut". This meant that it could not be rebuilt without further ado. According to Senn, the decision to rebuild ultimately came down to "the sum of all the defects in the existing hut". The poorly ventilated dormitories, inadequate energy supply, fire protection and sanitary facilities were additional factors.

But while the arguments are still ongoing, the plans of the SAC Wintertuhr are becoming more and more concrete. The members are to be informed about the detailed construction project as early as March, and the vote on the construction loan will ultimately take place at the annual meeting in the fall. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026.