The classic Alpine chalet has become an instantly recognisable icon of mountain living, with many examples having been transformed into desirable homes and luxury leisure accommodation. However, the decorative features which are today considered so attractive have always been of secondary importance to more practical considerations. Originally these were simple mountain farmhouses in which ordinary families would live and work, either throughout the year or during the snow-free months when cattle were moved to ever-higher altitudes, to benefit from the rich grazing which followed as the snow gradually retreated.

Farmers often possessed a series of chalets and barns (‘granges’) sited at isolated points along the annual migration route from the valley floor farms to the high pastures or ‘alpages’. In the French Alps the seasonal migration is known as ‘la transhumance’. Milk from the dairy herds was (and still is) employed in the production of highly-prized hard cheeses, so the chalets were also places of work.

From Valley to Valley

Despite their instantly recognisable popular image, their architectural styles can vary greatly from one region (or even one valley) to another, in response to the availability of construction materials, which were normally sourced from nearby. Where wood is plentiful - in the Beaufortain, Faucigny and Haut-Chablais areas of Savoie, for example - the results look very different from those which had to rely on stone (e.g. in the Chartreuse, Bauges, Maurienne and Tarentaise) or even, in some rarer cases, cob (‘pisé’).

Subtle Refinements

The apparent simplicity of their construction is deceptive. Each of the regional styles is founded upon centuries of experience and refinement in an often harsh and unforgiving environment. Beneath the superficial details it’s immediately apparent just how much they have in common. The most typical approach begins with a stone-built ground floor, divided into two or three areas and often partly recessed into the mountainside to afford a degree of protection from bitter prevailing winds. The presence of cattle and other livestock stabled here generated some extra warmth for the human accommodation above, while undesirable odours were carried away by the passage of air through small window openings in the stonework. This provided a solid foundation for the more visible timber stages supported by a framework of massive piers and joists, frequently of seasoned spruce or ‘épicéa’. This slow-growing timber can live for 500 years and contains tannins which darken on prolonged contact with the atmosphere, eventually allowing the chalet to blend in successfully with its natural surroundings.

The first floor (‘le fénil’) was destined for human habitation and generally featured a central fireplace with a stone chimney flue, plus a full-width balcony used for drying clothes, storing fruit and vegetables, etc., and recessed from the main façade. On steeply-sloping sites the rear of this storey would be at ground level. The second, or upper floor was a well-ventilated ‘grénier’ used for storing hay, timber and other bulky materials requiring some protection from the elements.

Heavyweight Protection

The roof incorporated a substantial overhang designed to offer the rest of the structure protection from rain, snow and sun, and featured timber planking protected by various weatherproof coverings. The earliest and most primitive was thatch, or ‘chaume’ which required a steeper roof pitch and was also less able to endure long periods of snow cover. Thatch was therefore superceded by uniformly-sized spruce tiles (known as ‘ancelles’ or ‘tavaillons’, according to their dimensions and often weighted down with large stones), by thick slates (‘ardoise’) or slabs of limestone known as ‘lauze’. The latter materials have a dry weight of at least 150kg per sq m and upwards of three times this figure after a substantial snowfall.

By the end of a winter during which the snow has compacted and received further falls, the total is multiplied yet again, placing colossal demands on the supporting roof timbers or ‘charpente’. When springtime returned and the snow melted, the timbers would slowly return undamaged to their previous unloaded state. For this reason local épicéa, whose impressive load-bearing abilities increase still further with age, would be carefully seasoned for many years (sometimes for generations) before it was considered ready for use in roof construction. An interesting refinement employing tall stone piers to support the roof overhang was originated in the Haute-Tarentaise and the Aosta Valley. Recently, however, it has been adopted as a stylistic motif by modern developers, most notably in the ski village of Val d’Isère.

Around the time of the First World War corrugated sheeting of galvanised iron began to be used as a cheap and waterproof alternative roof covering, and many examples still survive, often acquiring their own character as the traces of rust begin to appear.

An Enduring Legacy

Widely emulated, and now coveted by generations of seasonal visitors, the mountain chalet is an enduring design classic which achieves the seemingly impossible: using only their instincts, their experience and what they had close at hand on the mountain, their original constructors succeeded in creating a comfortable and supremely practical home not only for their families, but also for generations of their descendants.