SESVENNA
Atelier für Architektur — Chur / Milano
N 46°35′ · E 9°50′
Est. winter 2012
Sheet 00 / 07
We build where the weather has the final say.
Houses, refuges and public buildings in the Alps, made from stone and timber found within 30 km of each site.
16 people · 32 projects · 2 studios
Project Index — 32 entries
Sheet 01 — Method
Built from stone and larch found within 30 km — drawn for the worst snow day on record.
Built from stone and larch found within 30 km — drawn for the worst snow day on record.
Built from stone and larch found within 30 km — drawn for the worst snow day on record.
The work, by altitude
Sheet 02 — Hover a line
6 of 32 shown · sorted by altitude
A — Larch frame, 38 lifts
B — Gneiss plinth, quarried 4 km
C — Snow load 600 kg/m²
Sheet 03 — Featured
P-029
Albula Pass Shelter
Built in 11 weeks between snowfalls.
Altitude
2,315
Area
85
Beds
24
Lifts
38
On site
11 weeks
Completed
Sep 2025
Build window
Thaw → first snow
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sheet 04 — Three rules we build by
Posters, not promises
Rule 01 — Material
30 KM
Stone and timber come from within 30 km of the site. If the valley can't supply it, we redesign.
Rule 01 — Material
30 KM
Stone and timber come from within 30 km of the site. If the valley can't supply it, we redesign.
Rule 01 — Material
30 KM
Stone and timber come from within 30 km of the site. If the valley can't supply it, we redesign.
Rule 02 — Load
600 KG
Every roof is drawn for 600 kg of snow per square metre: the worst day on record, not the best summer one.
Rule 02 — Load
600 KG
Every roof is drawn for 600 kg of snow per square metre: the worst day on record, not the best summer one.
Rule 02 — Load
600 KG
Every roof is drawn for 600 kg of snow per square metre: the worst day on record, not the best summer one.
Rule 03 — Time
100 YRS
Every building should outlast the people who drew it.
Rule 03 — Time
100 YRS
Every building should outlast the people who drew it.
Rule 03 — Time
100 YRS
Every building should outlast the people who drew it.
Selected work
Sheet 05 — 4 of 32
Albula Pass Shelter
P-029
,
2,315
Albula Pass Shelter
P-029
,
2,315
Albula Pass Shelter
P-029
,
2,315
Flüela Weather Station
P-021
,
2,383
Flüela Weather Station
P-021
,
2,383
Flüela Weather Station
P-021
,
2,383
Alp Laret Dairy
P-018
,
1,980
Alp Laret Dairy
P-018
,
1,980
Alp Laret Dairy
P-018
,
1,980
Engadin Snow Library
P-027
,
1,716
Engadin Snow Library
P-027
,
1,716
Engadin Snow Library
P-027
,
1,716
Sheet 06 — How it began
2012
A winter in Val Müstair
2014
First building, Sent
2019
Milan studio opens
2025
Albula Pass Shelter
In the winter of 2012, Lena Caduff and Matteo Rinaldi restored a 1640s stone farmhouse in Val Müstair, a valley of 1,600 people near the Italian border.
The masons who had kept it standing for generations taught them how. The practice grew out of that winter.
Sheet 06 — How it began
2012
A winter in Val Müstair
2014
First building, Sent
2019
Milan studio opens
2025
Albula Pass Shelter
In the winter of 2012, Lena Caduff and Matteo Rinaldi restored a 1640s stone farmhouse in Val Müstair, a valley of 1,600 people near the Italian border.
The masons who had kept it standing for generations taught them how. The practice grew out of that winter.
Sheet 08 — Enquiry
Reply within 2 working days
Tell us about the site.
Steep, remote, snowed in half the year? Good. Three answers are enough to start.
Chur 593 m — studio
Tiefencastel 851 m
Albula Pass 2,315 m — 1 h 10 by car
Contours after © swisstopo
Local time, both studios
CET · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00
SESVENNA
Sheet 08 — Enquiry
Reply within 2 working days
Tell us about the site.
Steep, remote, snowed in half the year? Good. Three answers are enough to start.
Chur 593 m — studio
Tiefencastel 851 m
Albula Pass 2,315 m — 1 h 10 by car
Contours after © swisstopo
Local time, both studios
CET · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00
SESVENNA
Sheet 08 — Enquiry
Reply within 2 working days
Tell us about the site.
Steep, remote, snowed in half the year? Good. Three answers are enough to start.
Chur 593 m — studio
Tiefencastel 851 m
Albula Pass 2,315 m — 1 h 10 by car
Contours after © swisstopo
Local time, both studios
CET · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00
SESVENNA