FUGU Hospitality has installed a nine-bubble village of accommodation at the Alpin D’Hôme hotel in the Alps resort of Les Orres, France, providing a cosy, low-impact and close-to-nature place for guests to stay.

FUGU was established in 2011 to provide bubble structures for events and launched its FUGU Hospitality subsidiary last year to rollout bubbles designed for habitation.

Among the potential uses it suggests are home or hotel living spaces, spa treatment rooms, relaxation areas, fitness studios, hospitality venues or workspaces.

The bubbles are available in 20sq m (215 sq ft), 30sq m (323sq ft), 40sq m (431sq ft) or custom-made sizes and are constructed with environmentally-friendly materials like wood and canvas.

Designed with the help of an architect to optimise ergonomic layout, the bubbles' geodesic dome structure makes them self-supporting and provides structural rigidity, meaning they are very resistant to wind.

They are also efficient to heat compared to other spaces that cover a similar area due to the reduced volume of the dome shape and they retain heat well as a result of good insulation.

The only standard element of each bubble is the dome frame, meaning elements like colour, finishes, interiors and openings can be customised and that they can, therefore, be widely adapted.

Optional water and electricity connections mean they can be run independently or run as part of a bigger development, while water purification systems can provide greater levels of autonomy by recycling greywater.

Following the launch of the bubbles at the Alpin D’Hôme hotel, a further five additional bubbles are to be installed for the end of 2020, with FUGU Hospitality also working on a twenty-five-bubble project in the Doha desert and a potential project in Brazil.