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An eco-friendly hotel in the works in Italy evokes a strange mental mix of Smurf cottage, Shire home, pure enchantment, and wacky science experiment in one. Hidden in an Italian mountain—partially underground—with huge, half-circle windows, architect does more than just look pretty; it takes care to go easy on the environment, too.

 

The 11 units of the hotel in the northern Italian town of Bozen (two hours from the German border) face south and are covered with grass, ensuring natural temperature control all year round, according to the blog, . And a nearby fountain offers a sustainable water and energy source. It’s also earned a unique designation as the first KlimaHotel, meaning it’s ecologically, economically, and socio-culturally sustainable, notes the blog .

 

It suits Thun well; the architect practices what he calls ecotecture (a mash-up of architecture and ecology) in which he aims to design the most sustainable project for each specific site. It’s not just about getting it right for a building’s exterior but rather about carrying an eco-conscious thread throughout. “Total sustainability starts from inside,” states Thun’s website. So it follows that the interior’s design should be simple. “We need less weight and more light. We need products that tell ideas without words…Products that tell stories of sustainability because environmental necessities ask for it.”

 

Once you get past the new-agey feeling of these concepts, they actually mesh pretty well with the environmental movement. I can’t speak for the new hotel's guest services, available transportation, or any other typical amenities. But I can’t think of many who wouldn’t want to spend time in a comfortable place with a fantastic view that has zero (or minimal) eco-guilt attached. You can get your taste once the project is complete, sometime in 2011.