On 9 September, the new Fanton bivouac box was set up at the Forcella Marmarole. This marked the last phase in building this new structure for the Auronzo branch of the CAI. The process had begun with a request for tender with 273 projects submitted, while the final choice was made by a jury consisting of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, the CAI and the Belluno Dolomiti Architecture Foundation.
Fanton bivouac box: a special project, for a unique place
The Marmarole form part of the Dolomiti Settentrionali – System 5 of the Dolomites World Heritage Site. The design for the bivouac box had to be in keeping with the wild, rugged nature of this lonely area, fitting harmoniously into the landscape while also ensuring the visitor remains at one with his surroundings. The winning project by the DEMOGO Associated Studio of Treviso was designed by architects Simone Gobbo, Alberto Mottola, Davide De Marchi and Fabio Tossutti. It manages to both add to the landscape and be sensitive to the particular character of the area. It’s like a spyglass focused on space: in this case, the unique space of the World Heritage Dolomites. The sloping design fits perfectly with the contours of the Forcella.
A difficult location
The nature of the site made it particularly hard to put the two-and-half-ton structure into position. This task was performed by a helicopter from the Swiss company Heli Suisse, observed with some trepidation by the Auronzo CAI. The operation had to be postponed twice, due to fog and bad weather. But on the third attempt, the technicians and volunteers managed to position the structure at 2700 metres above sea level at the Forcella Marmarole. Work will now concentrate on fitting out the interior, and completing this task before next summer. Indeed, the president of the Auronzo CAI, Stefano Muzzi, has announced that the bivouac will be officially inaugurated next June.