Login
Registered users
Synonymous with challenge, mountain regions are increasingly becoming the epicenter of new interpretive and creative possibilities. Artists, designers, and architects are opening new avenues for experimentation and innovation that combine respect for the landscape with creative drive. From this perspective, every artistic, design, or architectural creation is a kind of module or “capsule” that reflects an organic, continually evolving vision.
This was the reasoning behind the theme of the third edition of Cortina Design Weekend: “Capsules: Exploratory Modules for the Mountain Space”. From July 11 through 13, professionals and the public converged at Palazzo delle Poste in Cortina d’Ampezzo to examine these topics at the three-day event organized by the Cortina for Us association in collaboration with the Municipality of Cortina d’Ampezzo. As always, the goal of the event was to bring architects, designers, and artists together to envision Alpine regions that balance tradition and innovation while catering to contemporary lifestyles.
The inauguration, held at Audi Lounge, Corso Italia 142, saw the participation of Franco Sovilla, president of Cortina for Us, Gianluca D’Incà Levis, founder and curator of Dolomiti Contemporanee; councilor Giorgio Da Rin; and architect Christian Siorpaes.
The program then continued with a series of talks in Palazzo delle Poste’s Sala Cultura. Among them was “Open Capsule. Totipotent Cell. Integrated Module”, curated by Dolomiti Contemporanee and moderated by D’Incà Levis. The speakers included Eric Balzan, founder of Hapter, an eyewear brand inspired by
high-altitude living; Martino Gamper, an Italian designer known for his project 100 Chairs in 100 Days; and professor Mattia Marzaro from the University of Trieste.
In the afternoon, attendees visited the photography exhibition Landscape Infrastructure and the installation Capsule-Boulder, another two initiatives by Dolomiti Contemporanee. An example of small, organic architecture that can be climbed on the outside and inhabited on the inside, Capsule-Boulder was designed by Mattia Menardi Menego and Edoardo Turozzi. Its construction was made possible through the collaboration of Regole d’Ampezzo, the Wood Art Cortina carpentry studio, FederlegnoArredo, the Cortina d’Ampezzo Art High School, Beck Fastening, ITS Engineering, Cortina360, Rasom Wood Technology, and Soltech. This project was a concrete example of a capsule acting as a totipotent cell and a tool for exploring and engaging with the natural environment.
The photography exhibition curated by Teresa de Toni bore witness to the changes to the landscape brought about by construction for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics, offering a critical and collaborative interpretation of the altered territorial dynamics. Going beyond visual heritage, the collection encouraged viewers to ponder the relationship between humans and the landscape. The exhibition included the release of a series of postcards with images of the Olympic skating venue, the center of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Largo delle Poste, Ponte Cadore, and road and rail infrastructure in the province of Belluno.
Saturday began with the session “Timber Building Dwelling: Timber as a Building Material from Ground to Roof”, presented by Riwega in collaboration with Lattoneria Schiavon. A range of timber construction methods was examined, along with their advantages and the future challenges facing the industry. Building industry standards and codes were also discussed with a focus on sustainability.
The day ended with the roundtable session organized by
THE Plan, “Hospitality Architecture and Landscape Infrastructure: Innovation and Tradition for Sustainable Renewal”. Moderated by Francesco Chiamulera, founder and director of the Una Montagna di Libri event, the session saw the participation of Ambra Piccin (Ambra Piccin Architetto), Matteo Scagnol and Sandy Attia (MoDus Architects), Edoardo Gherardi (Gherardi Architetti), Giovanni La Varra (Barreca & La Varra), and architect-photographer Matteo De Bellis. The session focused on the question, “How can the dialogue between architectural innovation and Alpine building traditions generate new forms of hospitality and landscape infrastructure?”
Panelists explored sustainable approaches to rethinking high-altitude infrastructure to foster slow, mindful, sensory tourism in harmony with the rhythms and forms of the landscape. They highlighted how the evolving relationship between humans and mountains is generating new hospitality models. An example is lifestyle hotels, with their shared social spaces, intended to cater to slow, quality-driven tourism. Mountain refuges are also part of this paradigm shift. Once cramped shelters, these cabins are now experiential microcosms – permeable structures with extensive glazing designed to create dialogue between guests and the landscape, while embodying respect for, and integration with, the natural environment. A clear theme to emerge from the session was that the landscape needs to be treated as an indispensable element of architectural design – a living component that must be preserved and enhanced. Under Italy’s landscape protection law (Law 1497 of June 29, 1939), any building work or land modification in Cortina d’Ampezzo requires specific authorizations and inspections to protect the natural beauty and unique features of the area.
The sessions held at Palazzo delle Poste alternated with parallel events showcasing local craftsmanship, including a standing dinner held by Wood Art Cortina and hosted by chef Fabio Pompanin of Ristorante Al Camin.
Cortina Design Weekend reinforced Cortina d’Ampezzo’s role as an ideas workshop where design, art, and landscape converge to envisage new possibilities for exploration and innovation through modules and capsules that serve as both research tools and instruments of transformation.
Location: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Belluno, Italy
When: 11/13 July 2025
Organizers: Cortina for Us and the Municipality of Cortina d’Ampezzo, in collaboration with Lattoneria e Carpenteria Schiavon, Riwega
Cultural Partners: Dolomiti Contemporanee, Progetto Borca, THE PLAN, Una montagna di libri – Cortina d’Ampezzo
Main Partner: Audi
Premium Partner: Zandonella Assicurazioni - Unipol Sai Assicurazioni
Partners: Boite, Casa Esselunga, Cortinabanca, La Cooperativa di Cortina, Natuzzi Italia, Wood Art Cortina, Zoldan Costruzioni Institutional Partners: Associazione Albergatori di Cortina, ATIC Associazione Tecnici Integrati Cortina, Cortina Marketing, Cortina Se.Am, Cortina Skiworld, Fondazione Cortina
Patronage: Regione Veneto, Collegio Provinciale Geometri e Geometri Laureati di Belluno, Ordine Architetti Belluno, Fondazione Architettura Belluno Dolomiti, Provincia di Belluno
Photography: Manaz Productions
All photos courtesy of Cortina for Us
THE PLAN Interior Design & Contract 11 is the eleventh supplement that THE PLAN has dedicated to the world of interior architecture. The publication, out in September 2025 as a supplement to THE PLAN 164, looks at around twenty of the most important... Read More
Paper Version
Digital version
![The Plan 170 [05-2026]](https://www.theplan.it/cdn-cgi/image/width=300/images/theplan170cover.jpg)
