Regenerating the Alps: Mountains as a Place to Live

Memory and Regeneration. Column Editors: Michele Bonino, Pierre-Alain Croset. The second issue of the column deals with the regeneration of humanized environments in the Alps. Within the framework of the "Sustainablity in the Mountains" issue of World Architecture, we invited to contribute on the Alpine topic two scholars of the IAM - Istituto di Architettura Montana (Institute of Mountain Architecture), based at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. What clearly results from their interpretation is a manifold relationship with memory: since Alps are inhabited from centuries, Alpine architecture traditionally embodies a number of values related to the historical context, the community life rooted in the territory, and traditional behaviors. This paper presents an overview of contemporary Alpine architecture, updating to the present needs and ideals the tradition of the Alps as a place to live.