The Municipality of Moncenisio commissioned the Politecnico of Turin (Antonio De Rossi, Laura Mascino and Matteo Tempestini) and Coutan Architects of Turin (Edoardo Schiari and Maicol Guiguet) to adapt and reinvent the spaces of two old barracks, once the last territorial garrison of the Guardia di Finanza, transforming them into a symbol of the rebirth of the contemporary mountain. 
We are in the Piedmont Alps of Val Cenischia, on the border between Italy and France: with a limited budget and a low-tech approach, the project has sought the essence of the mountain, interweaving the memory of the old stone walls with new wooden structures that fit inside. 
Thanks to this approach, the reborn barracks are now among the finalists for the 2025 edition of the Wood Architecture Prize by Klimahouse.

The larger of the two barracks, constrained by hydrogeological limits that prevent it from being inhabited, will become a fence dedicated to culture: a space for events and an alpine garden celebrating the area’s biodiversity. The smaller one, on the other hand, will house two wooden “boxes” containing a small flat for artists passing through and a multifunctional hall for the community. A vision can be read in these choices: that of an attempt to repopulate the highlands – Moncenisio has just fifty inhabitants – that does not chase after nostalgia, but builds new and unprecedented links between inhabitants, visitors and the landscape. 

The dialogue between past and present finds powerful expression in the architecture. The new wooden structures, built with spruce interiors and clad in larch on the exterior – including the roof, to withstand harsh weather – present themselves as pure volumes, reminiscent of stylized houses drawn by a child's hand.
This simple, essential design highlights the contrast with the roughness of the thick walls of the old barracks, now visible as fragmented, cross-sectioned remnants that narrate the passage of time. The wood, sourced entirely from the Susa Valley, less than twenty kilometers from the site, is a statement of intent: this short supply chain, prioritizing the use of local resources, is part of a broader reflection on sustainability. Alpine architecture thus becomes a tool for territorial stewardship, a central theme in Antonio De Rossi’s thirty-year career in research and design.

“The virtuous process in which we have participated at Moncenisio is only the latest piece in a concrete regeneration work that, as Politecnico, we are carrying out in various communities in the Alps and Apennines”, De Rossi told us. “The University's expertise, together with the commitment of local administrations and actors, can give rise to truly innovative projects for the country's inland and mountainous areas. And the quality of architecture, with its support for new mountain economies and cultures, can be decisive”.

With this small but significant intervention, Moncenisio becomes the symbol of a new Alpine architecture, rooted in its context and able to speak to the territory and its people. The restoration is not only a rehabilitation project, but also an invitation to rediscover the value of the mountain as a space for dialogue, which is also expressed in a different way of inhabiting the higher lands.