Architectural contribution given the risks due to the popularity of the Mont-Blanc

The objective of this contribution is to demonstrate the capacity of architecture to be a major factor of development on the specific site of the Aiguille du Goûter refuge, against the risks, both, environmental and human, caused by the severe overcrowding of the main route leading to the Mont-Blanc summit. The popularity of the Mont-Blanc has significant consequences on the environment and on human health. The poster will focus on the possibilities, offered by architecture, to answer the specific issues raised by empirical observations in situ and the confrontation between architectural and environmental considerations. The design, reinforced by a theoretical research, includes the definitions of walking and landscape as an integral part of the project. A reflexion on territorial scale contributes to the choice of the site, the shape and the integration. Typological and morphological choices aim to integrate the extreme environment in order to bring forward the proximity of deadly risks to which alpinists expose themselves, usually unconscientiously. To reinforce the presence of the mountain within the building, the context and the presence of natural elements as snow, rocks or slope of the famous Goûter’s corridor have been considered sources of the designing process. Finally to conceive the most appropriate spaces and refuge of high altitude, a particular attention has been given to the right level of comfort, suitable materials and atmosphere. The results of the research for this specific site will be presented through drawings, texts and images. The originality and interest of this contribution is to use architecture (implementation, typology and material) to address issues and to examine site-specific solutions in order to protect the Mont-Blanc summit and achieve a sustainable development of alpinism.