Positioned just a few meters from the summit of the Dormillouse mountain (2.908 m) in Susa Valley, Matteo Corradini Bivouac looks like a black metal parallelepiped, with the two extremes of the structure lower than the central area, which hosts the entrance and is the only part of the bivouac resting on the ground. The interior, characterized by warm swiss pine surfaces, is composed of a system of large wooden steps that lead you to the big windows that offer a great view on the Italian valley on one side, and on the French valley on the other.

Even though this bivouac isn't in the Alps, it curiously recalls the concept of the bivouac on the Dormillouse. It is located along trekking paths that aim at enhancing the value of a remote context. Made with very limited resources thanks to the contribution of many volunteers, it was assembled on site (1,780 m), starting from a steel frame. The interior is insulated with wooden slats and the exterior is covered in metal sheets.

This “asbestos-free” project for the Pennine and Lepontine Alps bivouacs led to the replacement of four obsolete "Apollonio - Fondazione Berti" bivouacs that were built between the 1960s and 1980s, characterised by the presence of asbestos in the body - i.e. the Farello on Alpe Veglia (2,447 m), the Antigine (2,855 m), the Camposecco (2,335 m) in Valle Antrona and the Lanti in Val Quarazza (2,125 m). The four mass-produced new structures consist in a simple but functional X-lam loadbearing “box” assembled on site, wrapped in crimped metal sheet and characterized by few openings and minimal furnishings.

The shelter, located at an altitude of 2,230 m in the Vallone di Vassola in Val Grande di Lanzo, provides a shelter to excursionists for a maximum of ten beds. It is outlined by an archetypal triangular section warped by wooden doors and sheltered all the way to the ground by red metal sheet slopes. It is the twin of the Gias Nuovo bivouac (1,900 m), which was installed the same year in the nearby Vallone di Sea, in order to provide a shelter for the people doing sport climbing activities in the area.

In Val Varaita, in correspondence of the Longet hill and its lakes (2,647 m), we find the ogival structure, made of wood and steel, with panoramic frontal windows of the Enrico Oliver Bivouac; It was first assembled and set up in the workshop, then disassembled for the transport and finally reassembled on site. It can accommodate up to six beds.

This bivouac is the result of the 2012 international competition “Essential living in the Alps”. Even though it was quite difficult building it, it is located at the Valzellazzo Pass (2,016 m), in the Cimon della Bagozza peaks. The wedge-shaped structure, made of laminated wood, composite panels and a zinc-titanium layer, can accommodate up to seven people and is fully equipped with all the necessary.

The winter bivouac located a few meters from the Pradidali shelter (2,278 m), in the centre of the Pale di San Martino, is one of the four winners of the 2018 edition of the “Costruire il Trentino” Award. The small hut with minimalist wooden interior and grey metal sheet roof is built on an existing ruin, aiming at a discreet integration into the landscape.

Inside the Triglav National Park, in the Julian Alps, a glittering metal half-barrel is located at an altitude of 2,090 m, replacing and reinterpreting a previous structure designed in the 1930s by engineer-alpinist Karlo Korenini, which in turn looks like a reinterpretation of the legendary Italian Ravelli model.

It is located at an altitude of 3,550 m, at the base of the Lyskamm’s Nose, in the Monte Rosa peaks. The irregular prismatic structure, consisting of four modular units made of wood and black metal sheet is designed to accommodate up to six climbers.

The Edoardo Camardella bivouac, named after the young skier who was swept away by an avalanche during an off-piste on Mont Blanc and who died here in November 2019, is a 5 square metre micro-space with 6 beds. The volume made of steel, sheet steel and wood in the interior, with a highly insulating prefabricated shell and solar panels for heating, is designed to withstand the extreme climatic conditions of the Ruitor glacier.