WORCESTER, Mass. - A Worcester local recently had some help building an igloo and what he calls a "treegloo" just near Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s campus.

Even with warm weather recently, the shelters made of snow are standing strong.

Spectrum News 1 took a tour of the igloos while some repairs were made during the light snowfall on Sunday.

Rainer Reichel has been building igloos since he was 6 years old. Now in his 40's, the WPI alum with a master's degree of architecture has the process down to a science.

"The tools we have are actually very simple," Reichel said. "[A] shovel, five-gallon bucket, block maker.”

Ice fishing gloves are also essential with the cold snow and water. Mixing the two creates what Rainer calls "slush-crete" which he uses for repairs.

This year was a first for the "treegloo" design. But whether it's built around a tree or free-standing, the igloo egg shape is all about eliminating any straight lines to avoid a potential collapse.

"So inside, eventually, I'll have to put a support column,” Reichel said. 

A hole in the roof allows for snow measurements as well as airflow. Rainer tracks the dew point to see how much melting may occur to the structures.

"In a perfect world, this air vent just gets bigger and bigger and nothing ever collapses,” Reichel said.

Building around the environment rather than destroying it is what adds to the beauty of the igloos, like using ice to create furniture, or using a fallen beech tree as flooring.

"We had it sliced up to use the wood,” Reichel said. “These were outside rotting away anyways. So why not put them in here? It makes for a nice floor because your feet don't get cold."

Reichel says he'd love to see more nature-integrated designs. He'd like to see more people getting outside, being active and having fun outdoors.