Chalets provide insight into our relationship with mountains

Patrick Giromini is lecturer at EPFL. Alain Herzog / 2022 EPFL - Chalets have been widely adopted as the standard form of architecture for mountain homes - but according to Patrick Giromini, an architect and lecturer at EPFL, it's worth taking a close look at why. In a well-documented book, he explores how chalets reflect a societal construct established in the 18th century that has largely shaped our relationship with mountains. "My research started with a very simple question: what can rural architecture in the Valais mountains teach us about Alpine land use?" says Giromini. For six years, he took architecture students into the mountains in his native canton of Valais to have them sketch the utilitarian buildings found there. "This exercise gives students a better grasp of the rationale behind how the structures were built," he says. "The work done by these students over the years is what brought me to my research hypothesis." Alongside his teaching, Giromini completed his PhD at EPFL's Arts of Sciences Laboratory (LAPIS), under the supervision of the lab's head Prof. Nicola Braghieri, within EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC).