The 16th October was the first opportunity to submit my second year main design project. The D1b module brief was similar in its ‘open-endedness’ as the previous D1a: choose a site and develop a project to a suitable year 2 architecture standard. A difference between this year’s and last year’s hand-ins was the online nature and the additional requirement to submit a video which demonstrates key concepts to begin the examined conversation. To get a good idea of the project as a whole view my video here:
For my project I chose to focus on a region near to the town of Bardonecchia in North-Italy where I had visited earlier in the year on a skiing holiday. Visiting a certain part of the resort I spoke to a few groups of people who were lacking a restaurant to eat in and this set the early programme.
In researching the area I found plenty of precedent in rare snow formations that snaked their way around areas off-piste and juxtaposed this with the way that humans form the snow in order to attract human habitation of the mountain.
Additional research brought up the local cultural values of cheese making and how this provides an economic benefit that is not restricted to a particular season. The work is fitting to the area in its historic heritage and gives a practical and sought after lifestyle. I made a batch of ricotta to fully understand the latter part of the process that they use.
This was paired with a more traditional look at the traditional vernacular chalet construction and the materials used. The atmosphere that you get in such a building is that of density, enclosure, darkness and a kind of heaviness that is in no way aligned with the reasons why people visit the mountain: this is for sky, light, air, views, brightness and a connection to the aridly sparse landscape. It was my ambition to reject the blind adoption of vernacular (although referencing it in regard to certain criteria that made it suited to its environment) in order to craft a new, better-suited internal environment that reflected seasonality and ski experience.
Cutting a lot of design development out and experiments in ice, snow and cardboard (who wants to see that?), the final concept utilises an exposed roof structure that represents the difference in snow pattern. The rigid and aligned main sections oppose the sweeping secondary supports and stepped change in the roof levels. The central hooded roof acts as a canopy over the main entrance and is a modern application of a largely-accentuated chalet pitched roof.
The building is set into the mountainside, making best use of the thermal mass of the landscape and minimising the overall profile. There is an access piste, roughly the width of a road at the rear of the building, set at the same height as the roof which gives direct views to the roof countours. The front of the building opens out to the views of the valley and the small town below the site.
The interior programme is split simply between the original idea of a ski restaurant and the reaction to the research into the cheese-making process that was local to the area. The front of house spaces (a cheese shop and restaurant seating space that spills into external decking) are set mirrored either side of the lobby. Back of house spaces include kitchens, storage, plant rooms and toilets. The cheese shop and kitchen have a large visual connection as the process is linked to the end product. Education as to the local significance of the trade is encouraged with the opportunity for tours and talks.
The building has a cheese maturation cave, set into a basement with a circular glazed element in the lobby floor ensuring people have their curiosity piqued on entering the building as to its use. The material of the pitched roof element is a reference to the tools used by the cheese makers – large vats of copper are used to cook the milk as they are curdled.
The idea for the restaurant evolved to finally create a building that can give something to the local community and continues to serve an active purpose in promoting the cultural value of the region throughout winter time and into summer.
Matt's Architecture 