Studio led by Leonid Slonimskiy (KOSMOS architects)

Assisted by Manuel Rossi (Rossi+Paris Architectes), Melina Meyer

Foroglio (for-all-io) examined how a community-based approach could transform a mountain village in Ticino, dominated by second homes, into a lived-in, social, and sustainable place. The project explored how a sparsely inhabited territory could regain collective vitality without losing the strength of its identity.

Located in the Bavona Valley, in the heart of Vallemaggia, Foroglio is a hamlet of around 100 buildings, known for its stone houses and its church, all constructed with local materials in dialogue with the Alpine terrain. Often described as frozen in time, the village is distinguished by its absence of connection to the electrical grid. Residents rely on solar panels, gas lamps, small hydroelectric turbines, and candles. In winter, the place remains empty, but this condition reinforces a singular atmosphere that contributes to its imaginary and its heritage value.

Students were invited to imagine the transition from a traditional house, bringing all functions together under one roof, to a distributed house. Each programme was deployed in a separate building and served the village as a whole. Reuse, economy of means, and respect for the existing built fabric formed the strategic foundation of the studio.

The projects demonstrated genuine ingenuity in envisioning the conditions for a possible repopulation, capable of fostering the emergence of a new community rooted in a living, social Foroglio that is attentive to its environment.