The Making of Alpine Architecture

Matteo Tempestini
The Making of
Alpine Architecture
Media, Awards, and Exhibitions
in Vorarlberg and Grisons
research 9

Matteo Tempestini
The Making of
Alpine Architecture
Media, Awards, and Exhibitions
in Vorarlberg and Grisons
research 9
3

Content 
Contemporary Alpine Architecture: The Diffusion of a Cultural
Construction
8
Architecture Awards
Alpine Architecture as a Cultural Construct: “Neues Bauen in den
Alpen”
Sustainability in Alpine Architecture: “Constructive Alps”
Good Building Practices in Grisons: “Gute Bauten Graubünden”
Rewarding Clients, Designers, and Supply Chains: “Bauherrenpreis
der Hypo Vorarlberg” and “Vorarlberger Holzbaupreis”
Architecture on Display
Early Awareness of Contemporary Alpine Architecture:
“Hotelarchitektur in den Alpen” and “Architektur Natur und Technik”
The Future of Grisons Architecture: “Werdende Wahrzeichen” and
“Wenn Haltung Raum bildet. Junge Architektur aus Graubünden”
The Legitimisation of Vorarlberg Architecture: “Architektur in
Vorarlberg seit 1960”, “Constructive Provocation”, and “Getting
Things Done”
Alpine Architecture in the Press
A Historiography of Contemporary Alpine Architecture
A Different Way to Promote Architectural Culture
Broadcast Architecture: Television, Blogs, and Social Networks
Descending from Gotthard Pass to Lake Constance
Sogn Benedetg Chapel, Sumvitg, Grisons, Peter Zumthor, 1988
Vals Thermal Baths, Grisons, Peter Zumthor, 1996
School in Paspels, Grisons, Valerio Olgiati, 1998
The Vrin Project, Grisons, Gion A. Caminada
Gemeindehaus in Raggal, Vorarlberg, Johannes Kaufmann, 2006
The Kaufmann Family: An Example of Timber Construction Culture
in Vorarlberg
Bernardo Bader and the Town of Krumbach
Designing Architectural Culture
The Making of Contemporary Alpine Architecture
Criticism and Baukultur
Two Regionalities Compared
A Model to Construct Culture
References
Acknowledgements
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Content

8 Contemporary Alpine Architecture: The Diffusion of a Cultural Construction
Contemporary Alpine Architecture:
The Diffusion of a Cultural
Construction

In 1992, the South Tyrolean association Sexten Kultur launched “Neues Bauen in den
Alpen”, the first award dedicated to contemporary architecture in the Alpine region.
The event was established following collaborations between Sexten Kultur and architect
Christoph Mayr Fingerle, an intellectual and influential figure in the South Tyrolean
scene. His collaboration with the association started in 1989 with the exhibition
“Hotelarchitektur in den Alpen – Architettura alberghiera nelle Alpi 1920–1940” (Mayr
Fingerle et al. 1989). The exhibition showcased modern hotel architecture in the Alps,
aiming to raise public awareness of the spectacularisation and folklorisation of the
Alpine region, which had begun with mass tourism in the mid-twentieth century.
A year later, Fingerle and Sexten Kultur organised another exhibition entitled
“Architektur, Natur und Technik” (Mayr Fingerle and Niedermayr 1990). In the summer
of 1990, technical buildings such as dams, funiculars, and radio repeaters were
presented in the hall of the Sexten Congress Centre through the photographs of South
Tyrolean photographer Walter Niedermayr. The exhibition continued the line of
“Hotelarchitektur in den Alpen”, seeking to raise awareness among professionals and
the public of the aesthetic potential in the contrast between the technical rationality
of infrastructure and the sublime Alpine landscape.
It was during the organisation of these two events that Christoph Mayr Fingerle
realised that there was a lack of research on contemporary Alpine architecture and
also that there was no useful platform to show the most significant works of designers
working in the Alps (Mayr Fingerle 2013). Thus, in 1992 he organised, in the framework
of the activities of Sexten Kultur, the first edition of “Neues Bauen in den Alpen”. The
winning work of this edition was the Sogn Benedetg Chapel (1988) by Swiss architect
Peter Zumthor, who, following this recognition, was considered one of the forefathers
of contemporary Alpine architecture (▶Fig. 1). The award gained increasing importance
and participation in the three subsequent editions – 1995, 1999, and the last
one in 2006 – thanks to several promotion activities, including travelling exhibitions
and the publication of catalogues enriched with important theoretical and historical
contributions. The exhibitions were held not only in Alpine galleries and museums
but also in Scandinavia and South America (Mayr Fingerle 2008), further confirming
the significant role that Alpine architecture played in the global architecture scene
at the end of the twentieth century. The particular interest in Alpine architectural
production lay in its ability to intersect with the international architectural scene as
a laboratory (Gerosa 1992) for the development of new transferrable strategies and
reference models for the contemporary world (Callegari et al. 2006). So, the Alpine
territory served as an experimental laboratory in architecture, as well as in other
humanistic and scientific disciplines (Wolf 1972). The experimental nature of Alpine
architectural design was also evident in the architecture of the modern period (De
Rossi and Moncalvo 2011), both in Italy – particularly in the projects of Carlo Mollino
(De Rossi and Dini 2023) – and in France, Switzerland, and Austria. In the latter case,
suffice it to mention the work of Lois Welzenbacher (Sarnitz 1989), Franz Baumann
(Hambrusch et al. 1998) (▶Fig. 2), or Adolf Loos’s Alpine experience in Payerbach,
Lower Austria, with the Khuner Haus, completed in 1930 (Ortelli 2019).
In the nineteen-fifties, some years after these first experiences, Alpine architecture,
despite being characterised by a wide disparity of technical, material, formal,
Contemporary Alpine Architecture: The Diffusion of a Cultural Construction
9

10 Contemporary Alpine Architecture: The Diffusion of a Cultural Construction
▶1
Peter Zumthor’s Sogn Benedetg Chapel, winner of the first edition of “Neues Bauen in den Alpen”.
poetic, and ideological approaches (Reichlin 1996), found common ground for debate
during the “Mountain Architecture Conferences” in Bardonecchia in the Italian
Alps. These conferences, held five times between 1952 and 1956, marked a renewed
interest in Alpine architecture, which had already been explored in Italy just before
the war during the first “Mountain Engineering Conference” organised in Turin in
1939, initiating a series of exchanges between transalpine cultural centres. The first
conference in Bardonecchia was attended by some of the most important figures of
Italian architecture, such as Roberto Gabetti, Giovanni Muzio, Franco Albini, Ignazio
Gardella, and Carlo Mollino (Gabetti 1952). During the second conference, the Istituto
di Architettura Montana (Institute of Mountain Architecture) was established, based
at the Politecnico di Torino. The goals of the Institute were to collect iconographic
and bibliographic materials, collaborate with public administrations and institutions,
and promote research and exhibitions on Alpine architecture (Tamborrino 2015).
Starting with the third edition, which featured critical and theoretical contributions
by Mario Cereghini (1954) and Carlo Mollino (1954), the Bardonecchia conferences
began to attract the attention of the international Alpine architectural scene.
Noteworthy was the presence in 1954 of Jacques Le Même, as well as the membership
in the Istituto di Architettura Montana of prominent figures from the Austrian scene,
such as Clemens Holzmeister and Lois Welzenbacher (Gabetti 1954). The three of
them, together with Iachen Könz from Grisons, Carlo Mollino, and Mario Cereghini,
won the 1955 “Mountain Architecture Award” (Gabetti 1955), promoted by the Turin
Provincial Tourism Board.

▶2
The Chapel in Monte Pana by Franz Baumann is a masterpiece of Alpine modern architecture.
© Alex Schidlbauer
The Bardonecchia conferences contributed to the institutionalisation of the group of
architects operating in the Alpine area in the mid-twentieth century. Thanks to the
debates, the formation of the Istituto di Architettura Montana, the publications, and
the award – in some ways forerunner of “Neues Bauen in den Alpen” – they succeeded
in bringing Alpine architecture to the attention of critics and the public (De Rossi
2006). A significant characteristic of this cultural process was the close relationship
between peri-Alpine metropolitan areas and Alpine architecture, which would also
reappear, with different characteristics, in the contemporary era. Turin and the
Politecnico played a fundamental role in the organisation of the conferences and
the establishment of the Istituto di Architettura Montana. Leading figures such as
Giuseppe Samonà, Ignazio Gardella, and Franco Albini came from Venice and Milan,
while the international guests reflected the importance of the relationship between
Alpine architectural production and peri-Alpine centres. For example, the Austrians
Clemens Holzmeister and Lois Welzenbacher were professors at the Academy of Fine
Arts in Vienna, and Alberto Sartoris, born in Turin, was based in Lausanne. The Bardonecchia
conferences thus highlighted a broad network of cultural exchanges that
connected the main peri-Alpine centres, encompassing the entire territory of the Alps.
The same process was to take place forty years later, when the establishment of
“Neues Bauen in den Alpen” marked the beginning of the contemporary era of Alpine
architecture (Mathieu 2011). In the meantime, the Alpine territory underwent significant
economic and social transformations, engaging with themes such as history,
memory, identity, nostalgia, and authenticity, and reinforcing attention to nature,
Contemporary Alpine Architecture: The Diffusion of a Cultural Construction
11

36 Architecture Awards
▶24
Türalihuus, Valendas,
Capaul & Blumenthal
CA 2015
GBG 2017
Gasthaus am Brunnen,
Valendas, Gion A. Caminada
CA 2015
GBG 2017
Sogn Benedetg Chapel,
Sumvitg, Peter Zumthor
NBA 1992
GBG 1994
Unterhaus Female College,
Disentis, Gion A. Caminada
NBA 2006
GBG 2013
Vals Thermal Baths,
Peter Zumthor
NBA 1999
GBG 2001
Kaufmann Zimmerei, Reuthe,
Johannes Kaufmann
CA 2020
VH 2019
Grisons and Vorarlberg were the two regions that received the highest number of awards in the two
competitions analysed so far. Many projects recognised at international level were subsequently
acknowledged by regional awards.
Chur

Bregenz
Pfarrhaus, Krumbach,
Bernardo Bader
CA 2015
VH 2015
Gasthof Krone, Hittisau,
Bernardo Bader
CA 2010
VH 2009
BHV 6/2010
Architecture Awards
Gemeindehaus Raggal,
Johannes Kaufmann
CA 2010
VH 2007
BHV 6/2010
Walkways in Viamala,
Jürg Conzett
NBA 1999
GBG 2001
Kirchner Museum,
Davos, Gigon & Guyer
NBA 1995
GBG 1994
NBA: Neues Bauen in den Alpen
CA: Constructive Alps
GBG: Gute Bauten Graubünden
BHV: Bauherrenpreis Hypo Vorarlberg
VH: Vorarlberger Holzbaupreis
37

50 Architecture Awards

Architecture Awards
▶36
The Gemeindehaus in St. Gerold by Cukrowicz Nachbaur won the “Vorarlberger Holzbaupreis”
and was recognised in the “Bauherrenpreis der Hypo Vorarlberg”.
51

80 Alpine Architecture in the Press

Alpine Architecture in the Press
▶56
The small Chapel of St. Nepomuk, designed by Christian Kerez, plays on the contrast
between its rough materiality and the lush Alpine landscape. © Alex Schidlbauer
81

94
Descending from Gotthard Pass
to Lake Constance

Sogn Benedetg Chapel, Sumvitg,
Grisons, Peter Zumthor, 1988
The Sogn Benedetg Chapel is considered one of the seminal works of contemporary
Alpine architecture, particularly after winning the first edition of “Neues Bauen in
den Alpen”. Completed in 1988 in the small hamlet of Sogn Benedetg, part of the
municipality of Sumvitg in the canton of Grisons, the chapel was built just north of
the settlement, taking advantage of “the steep rise in the terrain just behind the plateau
where the village sits, to assert its autonomy” (Achleitner et al. 1992) (▶Fig. 60).
The old local chapel, struck by an avalanche in 1984 and now reduced to a
few remains, lies further west, close to a ravine along the access road to the hamlet
(▶Fig. 61). The history of Zumthor’s masterpiece began a year after the incident, in 1985,
when the Sumvitg community approved the construction of the new chapel designed
by Zumthor, though not without some hesitation, as suggested by the Romansh comment
senza perschuasiun, meaning “without conviction” (Durisch 2014). Nonetheless,
the support of village priest Martin Bearth, and later of the Bündner Heimatschutz,
enabled the project to go ahead despite the initial doubts and scepticism of the local
population.
In plan, the chapel takes the shape of an ellipse with its major axis oriented
east-west. The western vertex is extended to form a cusp on the uphill side of the
building, while the eastern vertex houses the choir, in keeping with Christian tradition.
In elevation, the structure appears as a monolithic, tower-like volume clad in larch
shingles, resting on a reinforced concrete kerb. Above the shingles, a ribbon window
runs along the entire perimeter of the building beneath the metal roof (▶Fig. 62). The
latter is subtly sloped along both the longitudinal and transverse axes, with the eaves
kept at a constant height, while the ridge is gently curved, reaching its highest point
near the geometric centre of the ellipse. The larch cladding, weathered by the elements
and sun exposure, displays varied hues: the southern façade has retained the
warm tones of the wood, while the northern side has taken on a silvery-grey patina.
The entrance is a small, attached volume that articulates the otherwise monolithic
southern façade (▶Fig. 63). This vestibule, independent in both plan and elevation,
is placed tangentially to the main structure and perpendicularly to the path leading
to the chapel. Just south of the entrance stands the bell tower, composed of two long
vertical wooden beams connected by cross-pieces and a stairway leading to the two
small bells at the top (Zumthor 1989).
Ascending the short, monolithic concrete stair and passing through the massive
entrance door clad in vertical larch slats, one enters the vestibule, which is trapezoidal
in plan and considerably more compact than the main prayer hall. The small,
dark transitional space – slightly lower in elevation than the prayer room – starkly
contrasts with the brightness of the main hall. Another threshold element is a set of
glulam timber vertical supports that continue through the vestibule, visually dividing
the opening to the main space into three vertical sections.
Descending from Gotthard Pass to Lake Constance
95

96 Descending from Gotthard Pass to Lake Constance

Descending from Gotthard Pass to Lake Constance
▶60 The chapel seen from the path leading up from the village.
97

98 Descending from Gotthard Pass to Lake Constance
▶ 61
The old chapel was destroyed by an
avalanche in 1984.
▶ 62
View of the building’s western
cusp and towards the Rhine Valley.
The prayer hall is defined by a rhythm of thirty-seven spruce glulam pillars, linked to
the perimeter wall by metal brackets that leave a gap of several centimetres between
the two elements. The perimeter wall is finished with gypsum panels painted silver. At
the top of the pillars runs a plate girder following the perimeter of the building, from
which the secondary roof structure extends towards the ridge beam aligned with the
major axis of the ellipse. Inside the main hall, the continuous ribbon window at the
top provides the only natural light source, cutting off any view of the outside world
except for fragments of sky, thus enhancing the chapel’s introspective atmosphere.
The floor is set flush with the inner face of the glulam supports, creating a gap
equal to the width of the pillar plus the metal bracket. This detachment from both
the perimeter and the ground below – thanks to the contrasting geometry of the base,

Descending from Gotthard Pass to Lake Constance
▶63
The entrance to the building is through a small structure positioned tangentially to the main volume.
which follows the slope of the terrain, and the pseudo-horizontal floor suspended
on a frame with raised edges – contributes to the floating sensation of the prayer hall
within the volume of the chapel.
The Sogn Benedetg Chapel was one of Peter Zumthor’s first works to receive
international acclaim, alongside his Studio in Haldenstein and the Shelter for Roman
Excavations in Chur, both completed in 1986. In addition to winning “Neues Bauen in
den Alpen” in 1992, the modest religious building was also honoured with the “Gute
Bauten Graubünden” award in 1994. Since the late eighties, it has been featured in
numerous leading international architectural journals (▶Fig. 64). Following the exhibition
“Partituren und Bilder” (Zumthor and Danuser 1989) – one of the first public
presentation of Zumthor’s oeuvre, which opened in October 1988 at the Architekturgalerie
in Lucerne and later travelled to Graz and Vals – the chapel was published in
Domus (Zumthor and Zumthor 1989) in November 1989 and in Ottagono, issue 97, in
1990 (Wang 1990). In January 1991, the editors of The Architectural Review chose the
chapel for the cover of issue 1127, dedicated to the architecture of Northern Switzerland.
The Japanese magazine a+u also featured the chapel twice: first in issue 316
published in 1997, and again in a special issue on Zumthor in February 1998, where
it again made it onto the cover with a photo by Shigeo Ogawa, emulating the misty,
esoteric aesthetic of Danuser’s images from a decade earlier. These publications contributed
to the international reputation of the building, establishing it as a symbol
of a new Alpine architecture that – at least in its early phase – can be closely linked to
the architectural production of Grisons.
99

Imprint
This publication has partly been funded with the support of
SWISSLOS/Kulturförderung, Kanton Graubünden.
© 2026 by jovis Verlag
An imprint of Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Text by kind permission of the author.
Pictures by kind permission of the photographers/holders of
the picture rights.
All rights reserved.
Cover image: Oberrealta Chapel by Christian Kerez,
photograph by Alex Schidlbauer
Photographs and graphics: Matteo Tempestini, unless stated
otherwise
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Lithography: Stefan Rolle, Stoffers Grafik-Design
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