Results: Mountain Guardian

TerraViva has officially released the complete list of awarded projects of the architecture contest entitled “Mountain Guardian”.

This competition invited participants to design an alpine bivouac, a small, essential shelter immersed in the remote high-altitude terrain of Italy’s Stelvio National Park. The challenge called for a contemporary rethinking of this unique typology, encouraging designs that explore the delicate relationship between human presence and wild nature. Participants were asked to reflect on themes of sustainability, responsibility, and respect while embracing the marginal, often extreme conditions of alpine environments. With the aim of crafting temporary refuges that resonate with the spirit of the mountains, the competition sought architecture that balances innovation with humility, rooted in landscape and tradition.

The awarded proposals showcased a rich variety of responses, united by a deep sensitivity to the alpine context. Some designs stood out for their ability to frame and celebrate the surrounding panorama, transforming the bivouac into a vessel for observing nature. Others employed bold yet restrained material choices, such as reflective surfaces or native stone, to harmonize with the environment while enhancing visibility and resilience. Several proposals emphasized modularity and prefabrication, optimizing for transport and adaptability across terrains. From symbolic gestures to technically sophisticated systems, the winning projects embodied an architectural language that is both poetic and pragmatic.

Terraviva congratulates all participants for their inspiring contributions, which demonstrate a shared commitment to respectful, forward-thinking architecture.

The winners were selected by an international jury panel composed by:

- Luciano Bertolina (Valfurva, Italy) | CAI Valfurva
- Andrea Federico Toccolini (Tokyo, Japan) | Kengo Kuma & Associates
- Matteo Francesco Ruta (Milan, Italy) | Arketipo
- Lula Ferrari (Milan, Italy) | Lula Ferrari Studio
- Aldric Beckmann (Paris, France) | Aldric Beckmann Architectes
- Martin Šenberger (Prague, Czech Republic) | Mar.s Architects
- Yilin Zhang (San Francisco, United States) | STUDIOS Architecture
- Alberto Cervesato (Udine, Italy) | UNIUD

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1st Prize

The floating hut
Martino De Pretto, Giosuè Tonetto
Italy

The bivouac is conceived as the most extreme of outposts—suspended between earth and sky, the last human shelter amid the magnificent and hostile peaks of the mountains.
A small yet resilient structure clinging to the slope, facing the majesty of the surrounding summits.

The concept originates from the tension between the sharp, rugged rock and the crystalline sky—hence the need to make light, almost floating, what by definition must be resistant and firmly anchored to the ground.
The bivouac thus appears to hover, reaching out toward peaks and valleys, framed by the wide west-facing window.

The unique characteristics of the site impose challenges on multiple levels: structural strength to withstand wind and snow loads, lightness and transportability of the bivouac, ease and speed of assembly, excellent insulation performance, and above all, the most essential requirement: to create a space capable of delivering the best possible high-altitude experience.

The choice of anchoring technology is guided by the principle of complete reversibility. A system of Dywidag micropiles ensures the bivouac can be entirely dismantled, leaving the site untouched.

The extreme conditions of high altitude and the need for quick and simple installation led to the design of a lightweight galvanized steel structure—durable and easy to assemble on site. This allows most of the fabrication to be carried out in the valley, offering a more efficient alternative to complex and costly construction methods.

The structure is divided into two modules to simplify transport and facilitate assembly at altitude.

The external cladding is made of standing seam zinc-titanium sheet metal, a material that provides effective weather resistance and requires minimal maintenance.
Interior finishes include local fir panels for the walls and ceiling, and larch boards for the flooring. The entrance features a diamond-patterned metal plate for enhanced durability.

Functionality was central to the interior design, resulting in essential and compact furnishings, often adaptable to multiple uses. The table and benches, for example, conceal additional seating and a storage drawer for blankets. When needed, the table can be lowered to create four extra sleeping places, accommodating up to twelve people in total.

A small cabinet by the entrance contains essential emergency items, including a medical kit, thermal blankets, and a fire extinguisher.

Openings toward the breathtaking landscape are oriented Southeast and Southwest to ensure optimal solar gain, even during winter.

Dedicated spaces are provided for backpacks and gear, a water reserve, and a battery system to store energy from the four photovoltaic panels.

Minimal and carefully designed, the Floating Hut is ready to welcome hikers in a bivouac that is both equipped and conceived for practical, fast assembly and low maintenance over time.

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About the First Prize – Alberto Cervesato – UNIUD
“The hut is designed in a way that is consistent with the surrounding mountain environment. The interior spaces are designed with simple lines that leave all the attention on the panorama that opens up from the large window. The architecture becomes a telescope for observing the landscape.”

About the First Prize – Andrea Federico Toccolini – Kengo Kuma & Associates
“Functionality played a key role in shaping the interior design, leading to the use of minimal, space-efficient furnishings with versatile applications. For instance, the table and benches incorporate hidden features such as extra seating and a drawer for storing blankets.”

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2nd Prize

Between Peaks
Yunji Chung, Marco Sironi South
Korea – Italy

Between Peaks, A Contemporary Refuge Rooted in Memory and Landscape

Perched just west of the original Capanna Bernasconi site, the proposed bivouac reimagines the alpine shelter as both a functional emergency outpost and a symbolic beacon within the landscape. The new volume, visible from multiple surrounding trails and villages, acts as a contemporary guardian of the high mountains — its folded roofline echoing the rugged silhouettes of the surrounding peaks.
The structure is composed of three distinct yet connected volumes: two sleeping wings flank a central communal core, creating spatial rhythm while encouraging both rest and social gathering. This organization allows for a peaceful sleeping experience, while the open, visually connected interior ensures a sense of unity. Generous window openings frame key views, turning moments of pause into quiet observation.
The building is constructed using prefabricated CLT panels for their structural efficiency, thermal performance, and minimal site impact. CLT enables tight construction timelines, excellent insulation, and a warm, tactile interior finish. All surfaces — floor, wall, and ceiling — are finished in thin spruce panels, creating a calm, protective atmosphere. A series of integrated wooden cabinets function flexibly as beds, benches, tables, and storage. The building rests lightly on steel columns anchored via micropile point foundations — a reversible system chosen for minimal ground disturbance and long-term environmental responsibility.
Aluminum cladding ensures resilience against high-altitude weather, while south-facing roof slopes integrate lightweight photovoltaic panels that provide basic lighting and device charging. Energy is stored beneath the building in protected compartments, made possible by the elevated floor structure.
Assembly follows a dry construction method: CLT modules are pre-cut and transported by helicopter to the site, followed by rapid mounting of the steel base. Aluminum cladding and PV panels are installed on-site with simple fasteners. The entire strategy emphasizes durability, reversibility, and precision in remote conditions.
Rather than erase the memory of Capanna Bernasconi, the project respectfully preserves its footprint. The remaining stone walls are repurposed as a sheltered open-air pavilion — a place to pause, dine, or stargaze. A subtle stone wall path, composed of reused masonry, links the original structure to the new one, guiding visitors through layers of history and terrain.
In its synthesis of tradition, sustainability, and quiet symbolism, the bivouac offers a renewed model for inhabiting the high Alps — one of lightness, resilience, and care.

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About the 2nd Prize – Martin Šenberger – Mar.s Architects
“This proposal presents a compelling relationship with the mountain landscape, using reflective materiality to create a subtle yet symbolic dialogue with the surrounding peaks. Through a simple volumetric shift and strategic siting, the design offers a strong but discreet presence, emphasizing both lightness and integration into the environment. It reinterprets the notion of refuge with clarity, sensitivity, and formal precision.”

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3rd Prize

Periscope 70°
Leonardo Zuccaro Marchi, Shubham Majumder, Arzu Alvi, Elia Villa Aliberti
taly – India

The Periscope 70° bivouac is a vividly colored, visible, and recognizable capsule that embodies the soul of the mountain while expressing a new idea of ascent, gravity, and flexibility within the context. The project fosters a strong connection with the mountain landscape concerning views, respect, and natural-human forces. The new bivouac Periscope 70° reinterprets contemporary high-altitude outpost architecture while establishing a new relationship with the nature of Stelvio National Park, the heritage of Bernasconi Refuge, and the view of Santa Caterina Valfurva.

Concept I_ Anchoring – Nature as inspiration
The project is anchored to the rock in a continuous synergy between gravity and ascent. The architectural elements of the bivouac become clear interpretations of the mountain’s physics. Just as the Ibex finds micro-ledges to secure its footing, our structure must integrate with the landscape, anchoring into rock fissures, leveraging tension and compression, and minimizing environmental impact. Similar to a climber, the bivouac features pillars (‘legs’) that are compressed against the rock to ensure balance and control. Concurrently, a system of tensioned cables and metal anchors (‘arms’) offers support, maintaining stability against the rotational forces and wind pressure.

Concept II_ Periscope – Human settlements and sky views
Conceived as an axis between earth and sky, the Bivouac Periscope visually and symbolically aligns with Santa Caterina Valfurva below and the cosmos above. Its vertical section captures this duality—offering climbers a framed view of the village from within the cabin, while its bold exterior hue ensures visibility from a distance. The skylight at the top acts as a metaphor for the endless journey of ascent, simultaneously providing views of the night sky, passive lighting, and thermal efficiency. A beacon for both direction and reflection, the bivouac becomes part of the climber’s dialogue with the landscape.

Concept III_Flip_ 0° 30° 70° – Flexibility as sustainability
The bivouac features a modular and symmetrical structure that allows it to adapt to various inclines—from flat terrain to near-vertical faces, from 30° to 70°. The project’s title, Periscope 70°, relies on the vertical solution as the most radical of the other possible ones. The Periscope’s reversible design permits flipping depending on the slope direction, while interior modules such as sleeping units, seating, and storage can adjust or rotate to maintain usability regardless of orientation. This ensures both spatial coherence and functional resilience in all mountain conditions. It guarantees different internal experiences of the bivouac in various contexts while maintaining the same streel structure and skin with external aluminum cladding and internal solid timber boards. This sustainable, flexible solution creates numerous opportunities for reconnecting with the existing Bernasconi Refuge, which Periscope 70° engages with via a pedestrian path integrated into the landscape and equipped with solar panels.

Finally, Periscope 70° will be the new “Mountain Guardian,” connecting human settlements to the sky,
gravity and ascent, as well as climbing tensions and compressions, while respecting the essence of the mountain through flexible, adaptive solutions. Periscope 70° embraces the historical legacy of the mountain, its soul, and its future of hope, respect, and sustainability.

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About the 3rd Prize – Yilin Zhang – STUDIOS Architecture
“The design adapts to a wide range of terrains and responds to the topography rather than simply resting on it. Each terrain condition results in a different interior layout, but all can accommodate 8+ people. The design also includes features for climbers, such as a warm-up climbing wall, which shows a deep sensitivity to user experience. The materials are lightweight, windproof, and snow-resistant. The structure is easy to transport and suitable for prefabrication, which helps reduce construction costs. This is a highly thoughtful and technically strong design.”

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Golden Mention

OCULO
Luca Pistorello, Marta Chiodaroli
Italy

Oculo is a modular bivouac that combines structural efficiency, rapid installation, and a strong architectural identity. Designed for remote, alpine landscapes, the shelter is based on a hexagonal floor plan, which optimizes the distribution of snow loads and wind pressure while creating a compact and functional space. Its geometry supports both environmental resilience and interior flexibility.

The shelter is composed of six cylindrical modules radiating from a central core, forming a compact and easily recognizable structure. This formal choice is not arbitrary: the design was developed specifically in response to the unique topography and visual axes of the site, once home to the historic Capanna Bernasconi. Each facade of the new bivouac is carefully oriented and shaped to frame key points in the surrounding landscape, reinterpreting the experience of the original shelter in a contemporary architectural language.

Each side features a different “eye”—a uniquely shaped and positioned opening—which transforms the exterior appearance depending on the observer’s point of view, while offering curated views from within. From inside, each window frames a specific slice of the environment, turning the bivouac into a device for reading the landscape.

The unique shape of Oculo allows for the optimization of internal space while minimizing the surface area of the envelope. Within a total volume of 74 m³ it can accommodate 12 people, along with a generous floor area for additional sleeping mats if needed. Moreover, the cylindrical shape of the modules helps reduce the external surface, thus limiting heat loss.

Each cylindrical volume can serve a distinct function:

A sleeping module, with bunk beds or fold-out sleeping platforms.
A kitchen and storage module, with an aluminium shelf and storage space for backpacks, gear supplies and a first aid kit included.
A sitting module with an expandable table with a panoramic view on Valfurva
A central communal area, which can host more mattresses, or be fitted with a stove and chimney for heating. This space is intentionally adaptable and can be left open or configured as needed.

Construction System and Installation

The construction method prioritizes speed, simplicity, and low environmental impact. The central hub and the six prefabricated modules lay on load-bearing trusses and are attached using custom galvanized steel joints. These joints are preformed to fit each module precisely, allowing for quick and secure dry assembly.

No welding or heavy equipment is needed. The galvanized metal joints resist corrosion and require no additional surface treatments. Their X-shaped profile ensures strong, simple connections between the components.

The floor system features a ventilated gap, enhancing insulation and preventing ground moisture. The bivouac rests on adjustable steel feet, which anchor lightly into the terrain, making the structure fully reversible and removable, ideal for sensitive alpine zones.

Oculo is designed to host multiple users while offering a spatial experience that is both protective and open. It is a shelter with memory—rooted in the legacy of Capanna Bernasconi—but built with contemporary tools, sustainable logic, and a deep sensitivity to the surrounding landscape.

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Golden Mention

Rifugio 3070
Antrea Margadji
Cyprus

In extreme environments, design is no longer about conventional solutions — it is about invention. Where wind, snow, and altitude erase the usual rules, the very act of building becomes an experiment. These conditions become, paradoxically, a playground for exploration — a space where assumptions are questioned, and new ways of inhabiting space emerge. High-altitude landscapes, with their unpredictable forces and raw beauty, demand structures that are not only resilient but adaptive devices negotiating with the mountain itself. Following the logic of traditional alpine shelters, this project explores what a bivouac can become when shaped by both environment and imagination.

Just as contemporary mountaineering has moved towards lighter, more efficient, and highly optimized equipment, this project draws from the same spirit of innovation. The bivouac is conceived as a tool — balancing minimal weight, maximum functionality, and resilience — to meet the demands of a new generation of climbers. The challenges of transport, installation, and integration in such a remote and harsh environment led to the exploration of folding as a design principle. Inspired by origami, the fold becomes a precise strategy — making the bivouac compact for transport, efficient to deploy, and responsive to the mountain’s demands, while confining cost through reduced assembly, transportation and maintenance.

The bivouac is seamlessly integrated into its remarkable alpine context, both physically and visually. Its removable anchoring minimizes environmental impact. Visually, its geometry draws directly from the mountains; the folded facets echo the sharp ridges and fragmented slopes of the alpine landscape, allowing it to blend naturally into the terrain. Yet, when the sun touches it, it reflects the rays like a rescue mirror, becoming a beacon on the slopes, visible even from Santa Caterina on clear days, guiding those in need to safety.

The structural logic of the bivouac directly contributes to its sustainability and autonomy. The origami-inspired folding pattern divides the envelope into smaller modular components, making maintenance and future upgrades simple and efficient. The envelope is composed of thin sandwich panels, combining aluminum sheets with an aerogel core — ensuring thermal insulation, structural efficiency, and lightness, essential for transport and deployment. Autonomy is ensured by solar panels integrated into the envelope, supplying energy stored in two batteries positioned beneath the food preparation area, powering the lighting system and a small charging station for user devices.

The interior is organized according to an 800 mm grid, optimized for essential activities such as sleeping, eating, and food preparation. This rational and spartan layout responds to three main scenarios — overnight stays, emergencies, and short daytime breaks — each activating the bivouac differently. The folded envelope creates inclined facets that bring daylight from multiple angles, reaching deep into the space. A series of smaller openings, rather than a single large window, disperse daylight while offering framed views of the surrounding mountains, reducing reliance on artificial lighting.

The bivouac is the result of a design process driven by experimentation, precision, and necessity. Folding, integration, and efficiency come together to create a structure capable of meeting the challenges of high-altitude exploration.

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Golden Mention

Attraverso
Florencia Porcario
Argentina

At the summit, everything intensifies. And when the body can no longer go on, a brief light appears through the fog. A shelter, the last breath before peace. An emotional traverse between storm and stillness.

Attraverso responds emotionally, technically, and symbolically to an archetypal mountaineering experience: the transition from fear and disorientation to shelter and joy. In the volatile Alpine landscape, this bivouac offers minimal scale with maximum emotional impact, supporting the climber’s psychological journey.

Its rhomboidal shape, with gabled roofs, echoes traditional Alpine architecture in a contemporary language. To the south, a panoramic window frames the mountainous landscape, while to the north, a small “peephole” looks toward the town of Santa Caterina Valfurva—an inverted beacon. During storms or dark nights, this northern window glows, becoming a visual guide in the landscape.

The interior is designed as an emotional sequence. The entry is a cold vestibule, where climbers shed wet gear and shift into a safety mindset: a first aid kit, SOS button, radio, and weather station await. As tension subsides, they enter the warm heart of the space: a contemplative and playful area, naturally lit and passively heated, where both body and mind can truly rest. Finally, a quiet sleeping zone offers deep restoration.

Technically, the structure is a prefabricated steel module with high-efficiency insulation, anchored with minimal site impact. The metal facade blends into rock or snow, except for the beacon-window, which intentionally stands out. Though there are no formal levels, the section lifts sleeping areas, creating intuitive zoning. It is designed for 8 people, expandable to 10 with the ludic area, or 12 with fixed wooden benches.

Sustainability lies at the heart of the project: the bivouac is oriented to capture sunlight from the south, optimizing passive heating. Sunlight enters the main window and is absorbed by ceramic thermal-mass walls, releasing heat slowly through the night. Photovoltaic panels power essential needs: lighting, a small cooktop, phone/radio charging, and the external beacon.

Attraverso is more than biouvac— it is an emotional threshold. A beacon that transforms fear into peace.

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Golden Mention

Apex of Bivouac
Gayeong Yang, Yongbin Cho, Hoyeon La, Hyeonji Jeong
South Korea

A Place to Dwell: An Experimental Approach to Bivouac Architecture

On a ridge lashed by blizzards, a single structure stands: a tetrahedral bivouac.
But this is no ordinary shelter.
It slices through the wind, sheds snow, and absorbs sunlight.
This is architecture built not merely to exist, but to endure.

This project proposes a bivouac optimized for the high-altitude environment of the Alps.
To confront such harsh conditions, we adopted the tetrahedron — a form that is both minimal and resilient.
Triangular faces evenly distribute structural loads, withstanding strong winds and heavy snow.
The 60-degree slopes allow snow to slide off naturally, minimizing stress.
Its aerodynamic geometry reduces sway by channeling wind around the structure.
Slanted surfaces support solar panel installation, enabling off-grid energy generation.
Three primary openings serve as visual and spatial connections to the surrounding landscape.

Despite its structural advantages, the tetrahedral form limits interior space and daily usability.
To overcome this, a cube-shaped core is inserted within —
a spatial solution that maximizes functionality without compromising the external geometry.
This central core is more than a column. It acts as the organizing system of the interior.

A foldable rotating table at the base serves multiple roles: dining, working, and gear storage.
A compact ladder leads to a lofted sleeping area, encouraging vertical use of limited space.
Storage is embedded throughout, utilizing wall surfaces and the triangular pillar to keep essentials neatly arranged.

This bivouac is not just about shelter.
It invites exploration, adaptation, and interaction.
Within its minimal volume, users are encouraged to engage creatively with space.
Through the transformable core and multifunctional elements,
the project resolves the constraints of the tetrahedral form while enhancing intuitive use.

More than a refuge, it offers a moment of pause between the extremes of nature.
It provides a deeply memorable experience to climbers — a point of interaction with wind, snow, and sun.
This is both a tribute to traditional alpine huts and a forward-looking experiment in minimalist survival architecture.
A resilient, sculptural fragment designed to endure at the edge of the extreme.

Through the tetrahedral form, we created the strongest possible structure to contain the most adaptable space.
This is more than a shelter.
It is an experience.

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