Bernina Pass maintenance base, Poschiavo

The Bernina is one of the highest Alpine passes in Switzerland. An operations building had to be erected not far from the top of the pass. Exposed concrete is the logical choice for the extreme climate, the use and a supporting structure that uses as little material as possible. The Bernina Pass maintenance base continues to write Switzerland's history as a country of infrastructure buildings. The prize is therefore also a sign of the cultural value that the jury attaches to this often neglected type of building. The depot is designed for road maintenance in summer and snow clearing in winter.

The translation of the functional requirements into elementary geometric forms gives the building a strong relationship to its surroundings. What's more, the new building is at one with the landscape and at the same time symbolically expressive. The planners needed just two elements to achieve this: a silo tower encased in concrete and a wall reinforced with ribs and a canopy in the shape of a segment of a circle. Everything appears simple and natural, but has an impressive effect. Like a periscope, the silo tower penetrates the surface and announces its underground use.

However, the survey of the landscape goes even further and takes on a magical, completely unexpected dimension. There is a camera obscura in the storage room above the silo tower.

The jury was unanimous: there is no better illustration of how architecture can ennoble an ordinary functional building with the simplest of means.