The project to upgrade the cable car connecting the city of Aosta to the Pila area, and the skiing region, was proposed in response to a tender put out by Pila S.p.A., the company that manages the facilities. The project aims to modernise the system by replacing the three-seater Pila-Gorraz chairlift and the two-seater Couis 1 – two facilities dating back to the 1980s – with a new eight-seater cable car. The new conceptual framework sees the landscape integrated into the structures with the addition of new spaces and functions. The idea underpinning the project is to give the facilities a strong stylistic identity, integrating the existing construction in the valley station and improving the accessibility and functionality of the two intermediate and mountain stations. Inspiration for the project comes from the characteristic elements of the alpine landscape and, more generally, mountain life: alpine hut roofs, lodges set among pastures and the archetypal skyline.

Three large pitched-roof blocks are planned for the valley station, with the aim of incorporating the current access to the skiing district, the race office, and the facilities management office into a single iconographic building. The structure of this large outer frame is built from laminated wood ribbing, continuous facades with hidden frames in wooden shading, and wood and natural serpentine stone as part of the coverings.

The two intermediate stations, the first in front of the ski school and the second halfway up the route to the summit, are covered by a regular roof that evokes those typical of mountain lodges set among pastures. The favoured material for the structure’s build is laminated wood ribbing. Solar panels are placed above one of the roof pitches and can fulfil the new cable car’s energy requirements.

The plan is to incorporate the two main spaces of the mountain station – the arrival point and the bar-restaurant area – into a single building by using a roof that evokes the Monte Valletta skyline with a series of peaks punctuated by flatter parts. A climbing wall on the western side of the new structure and a large panoramic terrace on the third level of the shelter complete the project proposal.

The building is made using a reinforced concrete structure, with wood for the vertical coverings, continuous glass facades, and serpentine stone for the interiors, flooring and base of the structure.