Cortina’s New Cable Car: Combining Tradition and Innovation

A strategic addition to Cortina d’Ampezzo’s winter sports infrastructure, the new Lacedel–Socrapes gondola serves both the 2026 Winter Olympics and the Dolomites resort region’s long-term tourism goals. By enabling skiers to reach the slopes of Tofane, Cinque Torri, and Falzarego on foot from the town center, the project significantly reduces the environmental footprint associated with private vehicle traffic, high-altitude parking facilities, and shuttle bus services.PolyPiù, a company specializing in polycarbonates, played a key role in the project as supplier of transparent polycarbonate surfaces.

Designed by Gris+Dainese Architetti, the project includes two stations at the foot of the Tofane massif inspired by traditional Alpine forms and materials. “The designs, which reflect our emphasis on integration with the landscape, define a new architectural language aimed at establishing a dialogue between the traditional and contemporary,” explained architect Silvia Dainese.

PolyPiù’s multiwall polycarbonates were vital in setting up this dialogue. For the building envelope’s large glazed areas, the designers specified the PanelPiù multiwall polycarbonate modular system. This engineered product features an extruded structure with no visible joints, creating a clean, essential aesthetic with continuous surfaces. Form and function work in tandem. In addition to offering UV protection, the system ensures long-term thermal insulation, transparency, and weather resistance, as well as high wind-load capacity and light transmission. The panels also permit straightforward installation for infills, sawtooth roofs, and window assemblies.

A key characteristic of the project is the interplay between polycarbonate and wood, with the PanelPiù panels installed alongside raw timber surfaces. This wood skin uses slats with irregular edges to allow light to filter through the façade and from the base. The result is that the structure seems to hover above the ground – an effect that is particularly striking at night.

The panels’ neutral finish, together with the calibration applied during extrusion, produces a slightly reflective surface finish. This property attracted Gris+Dainese Architetti to the product since it not only creates subtle reflections of the surrounding landscape but also helps the building blend into its mountain setting.

For more information: www.polypiu.it