Pirovano refuge hotel

Franco Albini – Pirovano refuge hotel in Cervinia, 1948-1952

The Pirovano hotel – refuge is a clear example of how Italian architecture of the second half of the twentieth century was able to combine the themes of modernity with those of traditional architecture. In this case, Albini's language, through the use of local materials, reinterprets the construction techniques typical of the Aosta Valley. The building, located on a steep slope, consists of two parts: the lower part of three floors, leaning against the mountain and partially underground, and the upper part, completely above ground, which consists of two levels, one of which is an attic.

The walls of the base part are made of stone masonry; in concrete, the containment structures. The upper part instead uses the blockbau construction technique, very widespread in the rascards of the Aosta valleys, which provides for the angular interlocking of appropriately carved larch boards. The system is structured on the repetition of a basic cell consisting of a couple of bedrooms, separated in the center by stairs and services. The structural distinction between the two parts is confirmed by the functional one: the base part houses, in addition to the shops on the ground floor, the entrance, the kitchen and the staff rooms on the first floor; the restaurant and the common living room are located on the second floor. The latter is illuminated by a ribbon window that runs along the entire perimeter of the building. Finally, the upper part houses the bedrooms, located both on the third floor and in the attic.
Source: https://www.atlantearchitetture.beniculturali.it/albergo-rifugio-pirovano/