Immanenza d’altura
The thesis project by Christian Conovalu and Giulia Martini for the Municipality of Pontechianale
Academic year
2024-2025
In the heart of the Alta Val Varaita, Christian Conovalu and Giulia Martini propose the conversion of the Carlo Emanuele III Shelter into an alpine cultural observatory. The project aims to breathe new life into a historic, currently unused building, transforming it into an active, shared space dedicated to documentation, research, and dialogue. Photography, environmental mapping, and narrative archives become tools for understanding and accompanying landscape transformation, in close connection with the local community and those who travel through the mountains.
The intervention envisions a sober and tactile architecture, where every design choice — from the interior paths to the spatial layout — is conceived to foster an alliance between place, people, and the natural environment. The mountain is not just a backdrop, but an active protagonist of the project. Immanenza d’altura thus presents itself as a replicable cultural infrastructure, combining heritage preservation, new forms of inhabiting, and shared visions for the future of alpine areas.
The Interior Design thesis project proposes the architectural and cultural enhancement of the former Carlo Emanuele III Shelter in Pontechianale, reimagining it as an alpine observatory dedicated to memory, research, and territorial participation. The intervention reflects on new ways of inhabiting the landscape, where design acts as a tool for mediating between built heritage and environmental and social change.
Relatore: Christian Villa
Correlatore: Francesco Allasina
Project from the courses of
