How can an architectural project become a methodological focal point for the urban and social regeneration of a small Alpine community? VioneLab addresses this question by considering architecture not only as a constructive discipline but also as a humanistic activity that generates ideas and visions. This initiative combines regeneration efforts with a cultural laboratory where urban spaces become a platform for experimentation and connection among residents, identities, and needs, aiming to reconcile history and future within a framework of new housing opportunities. Supported by local and regional public entities, VioneLab has collaborated with Italian and Swiss universities, as well as research institutions, transforming the historic centre of Vione into a subject of study and design – an embryonic Alpine Academy. Activities: Reorganisation of the ethnographic museum and relocation of historical objects within urban niches; Introduction of design objects into the village, encouraging a contemporary reinterpretation of local traditions; Small-scale urban interventions to redesign spatial interface areas; Conservation and restoration projects; Structural assessments of load-bearing elements of historic rural buildings for renewal purposes; Structural and typological surveys to better understand architectural design in context; Regenerative design of buildings within the historic city centre and thesis projects focused on their functional renewal; International award “Minimal architecture in the Alps” and national award “Minimum living in the mountains” (Festival Architettura 2025).
