BCW collective's winning 'bivouac bredy' hut design overlooks the italian alpine valley

images © YACademy, BCW Collective

capturing the spirit of bredy through a cantilevered hut pushing into the void 

the initial hut proposal was developed as part of the 2019 edition of the ‘architecture for landscape’ course led by roberto dini from politecnico di torino and offered by YACademy in bologna. following the course, a design competition was set up with the architect’s order of valle d’aosta to identify the winning proposal presented by BCW collective (see more here). 

‘inspiration from the life of claudio bredy and the mountains he was so passionate about motivated the memorial architecture quality embedded in the proposal. the spirit of the man and the place are captured through symbolism. minimalist design choices embrace the essentiality of the mountain context, while the cantilevered form, pushing into the void, evokes the absence of an important member of a family and a community at large,’ shares the winning team.

a light steel structure anchors the hut to the rock at only six points to minimize environmental impact

like a telescope, the structure clad in light aluminum panels opens south towards the valley, with a large window framing the grivola peak and gran paradiso, one of the 4000-meter summits that claudio climbed. beyond the symbolism, the chosen orientation is an environmental strategy — maximizing solar gain to warm the bivouac in the cold winter months.

as for the interior, the space is optimized for functionality, focusing on the view and sensory experience as users immerse themselves into the surrounding mountain context. a double row of bunks culminates in the common area, characterized by an expansive view. finally, an entrance vestibule offers space for storing gear.

the hut is a new landmark on the skyline of the alpine valley

a prefabricated volume with minimal environmental impact 

entirely prefabricated, brought on site with limited helicopter trips and assembled in just a few days, the bivacco bredy is a flexible structure with minimal environmental impact, thanks to its complete reversibility. the selected anchor points of the metal frame foundation allow the design to adapt to uneven ground and to sit directly on the rock, guaranteeing a limited footprint and the possibility of restoring the site to a pristine condition should the structure be removed. 

‘thus, the vertosan valley has a new memorial icon, solid in form yet light in touch, protective yet ephemeral. it is both a physical and spiritual reference point, immersed the in alpine scenery to celebrate the mountains of claudio bredy within the silence of the earth and the sky,’ concludes BCW collective. 

the minimal interiors are characterized by an expansive view, immersing users in the landscape

LED lights and two charge points are provided in the social area

the hut serves as a space for reflection within the picturesque alpine environment

the bivacco bredy faces south into the wild valley

project info:

name: bivacco bredy

location: valle d’aosta, italy 
architecture: BCW collective
team: chiara tessarollo, skye sturm, facundo arboit

cultural consultants: cantieri d’alta quota, YACademy
consultant + architectural project coordinator: roberto dini – politecnico di torino
competition platform: YAC srl 
competition brief: ordine degli architetti della valle d’aosta
surveying and mapping: carlo perruquet 
structural design: giancarlo casella – area9 studio associato
construction: chenevier s.p.a.
drilling: besenval costruzioni s.r.l.
pilots: heliaosta 
rope weaving: un pizzo
photography: YACademy, BCW Collective

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom