TerraViva launches Mountain Guardian, a new architecture competition that invites the participants to work on the design of an alpine bivouac immersed in the wonderful natural context of Stelvio National Park (Italy).

Prizes up to 10.000 € will be awarded to the winners selected by an international jury panel composed, among others, by Matteo Francesco Ruta (Arketipo), Aldric Beckmann (Aldric Beckmann Architectes), Lula Ferrari (Lula Ferrari Studio) and Martin Šenberger (Mar.s Architects).

Brief

The aim of this competition is to creatively address the experience of living the high-altitude lands, exploring historical, marginal and extreme situations of the alpine environment, rethinking the canons of the relationship between man and nature, based on concepts such as responsibility, respect and sustainability.

The project aims to explore a unique architectural typology - the bivouac - essentially based on a temporary accommodation in close connection with wild nature. Nowadays, it is commonly believed that living the high mountains should be intimately linked to a more contemporary design approach.

Prizes & Mentions

1st Prize: 5.000€

2nd Prize: 2.000€

3rd Prize: 1.000€

4 Golden Mentions: 500€ each

10 Honorable Mentions: coupon for a free competition

30 Finalists: published on TerraViva channels

All Participants: 10% discount on a Mapo Tapo travel

Guidelines

The competition involves the design of a self-sufficient bivouac for 8-10 people, located near the original site of “Rifugio Bernasconi” (Valfurva, Stelvio National Park), interpreting the essentiality of living in the mountains by reducing any superfluous comfort to the minimum.

Intended primarily for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, the building will be designed as an autonomous and sustainable organism, proposing an alternative model to traditional bivouacs (often outdated), responding in the most innovative way to the critical issues of the place and to the needs of the new generations of mountaineers.

Requested Material

Two A1 panels (59,4 x 84,1 cm) landscape oriented + a brief text describing the proposal (250-500 words);

Jury

Luciano Bertolina (Valfurva, Italy) | CAI Valfurva

Andrea Federico Toccolini (Tokyo, Japan) | Kengo Kuma & Associates

Matteo Ruta (Milan, Italy) | Arketipo + Polimi

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

Schedule

Competition Opening: November 11th 2024

79 € “Early” Registrations: November 11th - January 17th

99 € “Standard” Registrations: January 17th - March 14th

129 € “Late” Registrations: March 14th – April 11th

Submission Deadline: April 11th (3:00 pm CET)

Winners Announcement: May 12th 2025

Download full brief here. 

Requirements & Eligibility

The competition is open to architects, landscape designers, interior designers, students, enthusiasts, engineers, artists, makers and anyone interested in the fields of architecture and design. Participants can join the competition either individually or with a team.

For more info, visit website. 

Contact: [email protected].

Top image courtesy of TerraViva.

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