PILGRIMAGE | Short ENG by N0WArchitecture

PILGRIMAGE RESEARCH TO THE SOURCE

NIKKI WITSENBOER FEBRUARY 2022

COLOPHON PILGRIMAGE | RESEARCH TO THE SOURCE NIKKI WITSENBOER Shortened english translated version for registration European Bauhaus Thesis project at: ArtEZ University of the Arts MSc architecture Onderlangs 9 6812 CE Arnhem Tutors : Graduation coördinator: External commitee: First reader: second reader:

Arjen Aarnoudse Annemariken Hilberink, Ralph Brodrück Gerard van Heel Stijn de Weerd Miranda Nieboer JaapJan Berg

Contact: nikkiwitsenboer@gmail.com

All rights reserved. This publication or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author. keywords: EN: sustainability, raw materials, vernacular architecture, hiking, mountains, shelter, landart, wanderderer, reconnecting, mother nature, indigenous, sculpture, pilgrimage, Alps, Switzerland, biobased, trail, atmospheres, balance

FOREWORD The Alps have fascinated me since childhood. A place where I could climb and clamber over the mountains. I remember looking down from a great height on the small villages. Sometimes every form of civilization disappears and you are alone, alone with the rocks that surround you, with unprecedented dimension. Alone in the world where your legs are the only thing that can take you further. When walking, everything seems to come into balance. The day slips by as your legs walk rhythmically step by step across the earth. The heart rate speeds up uphill and slows down as it flattens out. The body adapts to the complexity of the mountains and in this rhythm a balance is created between body, mind and landscape. It is a real pleasure to be part of the overwhelming glaciers and steep mountains. At the same time, there is a fearful awareness of the power of nature against the fragile human being. The mountains and my experiences in the Alpine landscape have become a great source of inspiration for me as a designer. But in my short life of less than 30 years I see the landscape suffering at the hands of humans. We are living together in the protected environments of cities and villages. An environment in which we find ourselves in the distance of nature. It feels like we don’t want to see what we do to nature and how we abuse the planet for our benefits without doing anything in return. We rarely spend time in the

great outdoors and many of us have never even done so. By not doing this, we don’t face the consequences of our devastating lifestyle in nature. We are not aware of our actual footprint. In my opinion, the distance between man and nature happen to be one of the causes of the current climate crisis. With my project Pilgrimage I therefore want to function as a mountain guide and take my readers on a journey through the Swiss Alps. An invitation to get up and discover the world on foot to see with your own eyes what is happening. This journey is about the meaning of walking and how it gives us humans a unique perspective of the world. The ability to walk on two legs left our hands free to pick up materials and carry them with us. We learned to put the collected materials together to build a shelter. Creating a place to stay was an important development in human history and the starting point of architecture. Pilgrimage explores a new attitude to the planet. How we can stay in nature without damaging it. How architecture can contribute to restoring the connection between people and the earth. By breaking free from society and the daily grind and becoming aware of the damage we cause in these places. A form of architecture that goes back to the source with all the knowledge of today. Architecture as a universal language between man and landscape. This is my pilgrimage to the source.

Image 1: Picture Canada summer 2001 It is magical to climb the mountains to a height where snow and ice can be found in the summer. Snow that never melts, that has been there for centuries and should stay there forever. They are beautiful memories of climbing up over the rocks to stand on the ice for a while. The memory is bittersweet with the knowledge that the children of the future will never experience this. That what has been there for centuries will disappear in the coming years.

INTRODUCTION In Western culture, walking a pilgrimage is quickly linked to the Christian pilgrimage. The pilgrimage is a tradition that has an important role in several cultures and religious beliefs. There is a good chance that you yourself have once participated in a modern form of pilgrimage. A pilgrimage unites the simplicity of walking with a greater purpose. It is a symbiosis between the journey and the arrival. This report is the result of my master thesis research for my graduation as an architect. A research I experienced as a journey or a pilgrimage myself. A pilgrimage to reflect on my profession in a different way. It has to do with all the contradictions that I face on a daily basis in practice. Building sustainable is often not about making a best sustainable choice, but mostly about commercial profit, in which the growing economy is still the driving force. Not our own health and certainly not the health of our planet. We see humans as the center of existence, using, abusing and exhausting the earth to feed and even overfed our own. Leaving a trail of human devastation on this earth. The research started by relating human happiness to the happiness of the earth. In addition to waste, overproduction also has the negative consequence that we have too much. This can be seen in the broadest sense of the word. More stuff than you need, more food than you can eat, more activities than time,

too much work to finish, too many choices that determine the direction of your life, and so on. All this “luxury” eventually causes stress and anxiety1. Stress is now our biggest occupational disease and a major social problem. Prosperity can be positive for human happiness to a certain extent, but in Western countries we have passed this point and we can say that more prosperity ultimately results in less happy people2. But apart from the fact that overproduction and too much wealth is harmful to our health, this overconsumption has major negative consequences for our earth. We extract raw materials to provide for this lifestyle but do nothing in return to restore or protect the planet. This has disrupted the natural balance of this planet. Initiatives to invest in the planet cost money and are often being delayed even though they will pay off in the long run. Society’s short-sighted attitude seems to far underestimate the value of a habitable planet. In 2020 we used our earth 1.6 times worldwide. If everyone lived like a Dutchman, we would need three times the Earth every year to provide for our current way of life3. We can say that wealth ultimatly results in exhausted people and an exhausted planet. With this knowledge, it is illogical that we are always looking for economic growth and more prosperity. In my pilgrimage I do not go much

deeper into this aspect of prosperity and economy because I want to wriggle free from this part of society. But it does say something about the world perspective from which I started to search for balance. Balance in what you can add as a human being without having a negative impact on the planet. For this research by design, it

needed a place where one could go back to the source. A neutral terrain in which humans are not yet dominant. A place to distance yourself from the grasp of society. The location chosen as a case study is located in the high mountains of the Swiss Alps. A five-day trekking has been mapped out. A bearable period to get time to destress and reflect on what is actually necessary to be human. The journey takes us to one of the most authentic parts of Switzerland. An area that is rough and difficult to access. A landscape in which nature is still largely untouched, but where, despite this, the suffering from the climate crisis also leaves its mark. Shelters have been created on this route to reflect on our footprint. In these places, a search for natural wonder arose, in which personal memories in relation to the finds in the landscape are exhibited.

The interventions to stay in the landscape ‘places of refuge’ are given shape with the materials that are found at the location site. The available materials, the accessibility of the place, the time needed to make the structure and the manufacturability of the object must be in balance. This balance of possibilities created the essence of the place. By adopting an adaptive attitude towards the environment to make architecture. Looking for the balance between nature and architecture. In the first chapter, the research

will examine the aspect of walking in more detail. What does walking mean to people and how can walking help us get closer to nature? In the second chapter, the location and situation in the Swiss Alps will be further investigated. How does the five-day pilgrimage go, what do we encounter, what materials can be found, how is currently being built in the mountains and what is the criticism? Ultimately, this context has led to design experiments with the materials found in the places in relation to the environment of their locations. In the following five chapters, referred to as day 1 to day 5, the designs at their specific locations will be discussed. Here the materials are examined on location, as well as the relationship with this specific place and the way in which this relationship plays a role in the design.

radiates the dominant attitude, but built with the landscape. As a result, it is precisely that balance and the cooperation between man and nature that is sought.

WANDELKAART PELGRIMAGE

The Last Day is designed as an incentive to respond to the climate crisis. The journey requires awareness in the assumption that awareness is necessary to be able to respond to this crisis. The first four designs show how you can deal sustainable with context and material. The last design will therefore almost seamlessly transition into the conclusion of my research. It is a manifest to submit yourself to nature and to see man as an organism, instead of ruling the world. Let’s learn from our source to walk a pilgrimage to the future.

DISENTIS/MUSTER

FELSEN

DAMM

The research method is mainly the physical act of making and experimenting with the materials through models. These models are supported by drawings, material tests, sketches, personal travel experiences and literature with both a scientific and a philosophical context. In this way an attempt is made to capture a larger story in small subordinate designs. A method to design with nature and to be open to it as a designer. The interventions are also not seen as built in the landscape, which

Graubunden Ticino

STEIN

KAMIN

Image 4 : Map Switzerland with Kantons. The route will take place in Graubunden and Ticino.

NEST

HIKINGMAP PILGRIMAGE

Image 5 : Hikingmap Pilgrimage with the route and shelters. Including the journey from Disentis Muster - Oberalppas by train Lukmanierpass - Disentis Muster by bus.

ELEVATION UP

2023 M

DISTANCE

44,3 KM

ELEVATION DOWN

schaal 1:20000

GSEducationalVersion

2164 M

> THE WALKING BRAIN If you pay attention to when people start to actively use their bodies, it is noticeable that people start pacing when they have to think harder. When we move physically, our brains think more efficiently than when we sit still. The fascinating thing is that we can also take a walk inside our heads without actually moving actively. These are moments of mind wandering in which we process experiences. I think the profession of architect consists of a healthy dose of mind-wandering. Where there must be a balance between focused work and letting your mind wander to process all ideas. “Children are often told not to stare out the window and to pay attention. But it seems that for generations, teachers may have been wrong: taskfocused attention and letting your mind wander are two sides of the same mental coin. We focus our attention on commands to carry them out, and when we’re stuck, we let our mind wander for a while to gather resources to help us find a solution, or simply process the information we learned from focusing. This switching back and forth between different states allows us to lead productive and creative lives.”5 This process of focused work and mind-wandering was actively used during the design-research. Especially when making models you are physically making space. Largely focused and then wandering off to imagine what that space will look like in the future and what events

can take place in that space. This form of mind-wandering in relation to design reminded me of this piece from an interview with Peter Zumthor: “Peter Zumthor holds that the task of the architect is to address, by means of building, the interaction between people and objects. He calls it his passion to deal with real objects ‘the magic of things, the magic of the real world’. During the conversation, Zumthor frequently emphasizes this aspect of reality: the physical object is more important than the conceptual thought. This is not to say that the focus on objects is superficial, on the contrary, it takes effort to focus on making real things: ‘the idea is that the task of creating atmosphere also comes dome to craft and graft.’”6 In the chapters of the different days this aspect will come up much more often. Getting to know the material by using it and staying focused on the physical activity. My design method can thus be linked to the knowledge in this chapter. Being physically and mentally busy while making, crafting and designing with real and raw materials.

EXPERIENCING NATURE In a world where other activities could not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, going out to wander in nature has become more popular than ever. The Dutch nature reserves became a major attraction and as in Western thinking, we will dominate and own these places as soon as we are there with larger groups of people. We disrupt the peace and nature. Forest Rangers are concerned and see that nature reserves are often treated with little respect.8 This has suddenly become urgent, but this attitude to treat nature with little respect has a deeper layer. People are originally nomads who travel around. This traveling made us part of the landscape and the flora and fauna that lived there. We temporarily inhabited these places and did not make the land our own. In Europe we are living in fixed communities, towns and cities for already a long time. We make places our property and inhabit these places permanently. In history every society had a self-centered existence with its own rules. Every inhabitant was given his own place within this society. This private place was often a small piece of land that you take care of. Every society was a center of existence. Food was grown on private land around this core of existence. Between the different communities there was nature. We only go in to nature for a long period of time to travel between two centers of civilization. This journey was often a dangerous undertaking in which all kinds of natural enemies were

lurking. Also it was a risk to get lost and not being able to find your own civilization again. Over time, societies grew and began to work together. There was a general awareness of the god of the western world, Christianity. This god had created man on top of the ladder of all life. Which today still ensures that we put the interests of people above all else and at all costs. We can trace part of what the landscape means to us from writing and painting. Until the late Middle Ages, the landscape was rather the background or filling of the residual space on the canvas. Around 1450 this changed more towards its own theme in the form of landscape art. The role of the landscape changed during the Romantic(1790-1850) in which painters, poets and philosophers were seized by the landscape as an aesthetic value. There was a certain longing for the infinity of the landscape when the position of god came under pressure during the Age of Enlightenment(1715-1789). In a sense, the artists of Romanticism deified the landscape. It describes for the first time how poetic, beautiful and philosophical the landscape can be. “The Romantics are the first true wanderers of the West, but not in the neutral, calm-enjoying way we do now, but in the original sense in which something new always distinguishes itself from all later imitations: they were immoderate wanderers, the new pious of nature.”8

Image 18: Der wanderer über dem Nebelmeer | Caspar David Friedrich | around 1817 When someone refers to Romanticism(ca.1790-1850), this painting is the first thing that comes to my mind. Perhaps one of the most famous paintings from this period. A period in which the human feeling starts to play a role in painting. In which landscape is no longer just the background, but can play a leading role. As Casper David Friedrich portrays here, man is subordinate to the landscape. We are only spectators in this spectacle, in which man is allowed to subordinate himself to the landscape. It’s not about who is standing there, it’s about the fantasy of the view and the journey that may have preceded it. A longing for the distance. 7 | Straver |‘De natuur lijdt onder het corona’| 07/09/2020 8 | Lemaire |’Filosofie van het landschap’|43

But on the other hand, this man is portrayed powerfully. He is part of the landscape but also conquers it. He doesn’t just walk here. He defies the landscape and makes his way through it.

> EXPERIENCING NATURE While many people worshiped nature, wandering became almost a form of prayer, but it was also a place of hardship in which a woman could not be alone. The English garden was introduced in the second half of the 18th century. Where the French renaissance gardens were still completely subdued with straight hedges and symmetrical flower beds, the English garden was a reflection of the romantic landscape. A place to walk safely through a natural environment. But despite the fact that the English garden looked natural, it was precisely designed according to the human hand. In the gardens, various landscapes were exhibited with plants from all over the world. Having a large estate and owning a lot of land was a sign of wealth. The landscape had to be subdued and manipulated to make the danger recede. In addition, the landscape had to remain walkable by creating paths and structures that made walking a pastime and often a moment to parade to see and be seen. My conclusion is that nowadays we don’t spend enough time in real nature to let it be part of our existence. We also possess the nature that we embody, which makes it not a natural but a human environment. It creates an unconscious relationship with nature. We often only walk for a short moment on designed paths to which the landscape is subject. In addition, nature is seen as a dangerous place of hardship.

When I say, I am going to travel in the high mountains on my own, it is considered a dangerous undertaking. Of course staying in the free nature requires careful preparation, but there is also a contradiction in that. We travel with great ease in a metal machine at 100k/m per hour and thousands at a time on the highways and daily encounter perhaps hundreds of strangers that you have no idea if they are any good. If I compare those daily risks with my step-by-step walk, maximum 5k/m per hour and the 5 to 10 strangers I encounter, then that walking feels relatively safe. I think few are aware of the risks we take on a daily basis. Just because it’s a daily activity that a lot of people do doesn’t mean it’s safe and should be normal. An important motivation to approach my project critically and from a different perspective. Not only from the humancentered perspective, but also from the perspective of mother nature and her story.

Image 19: Day en nacht | Escher | 1938 Rethinking the chosen perspective of the world around us.The free and the created landscape.

MODERN PILGRIMAGE A pilgrimage is an ancient habit to wander in search of a higher truth, god, or to think about life. Its use is characterized all over the world in all kinds of cultures and faiths. Walking creates a synergy between the journey and the destination. This synergy is also recognizable from mountaineering. “Making a pilgrimage provides the opportunity, step by step, through physical exertion of the body, to progress toward elusive spiritual goals that are otherwise so unattainable. How to make the right choices for the future is incredibly complicated, but we do know how to get from A to B, no matter how hard the journey. We often imagine the future and life as a journey, by actually going on a pilgrimage we get a grip on that image and that makes it concrete. One of the most fascinating and universal images of what it means to be human, portraying the individual as small and lonely in a vast world, relying on the power of body and will.”9 On January 1, 1953, a woman known as the Peace Pilgrim embarked on a hike promising that she would continue to walk until mankind learned to live in peace. She was perhaps the first to give the religious form of the pilgrimage a political overtone. Peace Pilgrim ran to draw attention to war, violence and epidemics that plague the world. The themes that drove her make her the first of a great multitude of

modern political Pilgrims. Undertaking a pilgrimage is perhaps the oldest way of travelling. The English word travel comes from the French word travail, which means to work and to suffer.10 Achieving a goal, submitting yourself to that goal and daring to suffer in order to understand a greater meaning. To get in touch with the higher powers and show how much you have left to heal your loved one, for example. We can recognize the latter in a modern edition of pilgrimages. For example, different collection campaigns in which people walk to draw attention to illness, injustice or disasters in order to collect money for better aid. Everyone participates or donates with its own story and motivation. Such a modern pilgrimage has little to do with creed and is all the more about the goal or calling attention to a greater purpose. I see my pilgrimage as a symbiosis between the ancient and modern form. By plodding along in the rugged mountain landscape and daring to distance yourself from all the comforts of our society to come back to nature and yourself. To see with our own eyes the damage we cause. The tour is a fusion of arduous trails and a relief of beautiful natural beauty. Every day is a journey and every evening a destination as places of refuge in the landscape. The places of pilgrimage have in common that they are places where enlightenment, revelation and

miracles once happened, are still happening or where they may happen in the future. These wonders give those places meaning. They are marked as special or sacred. This sanctity protects the sites. A place of untouched nature is also such a place for me. The untouched nature deserves to be seen as a sanctuary and to be treated and protected in that way. We must protect these places with the same tenderness as our oldest pilgrimage sites.

Image 20: picture august 19, 2020 The landscape is my pilgrimage along the route day 2

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CONNECTION WITH NATURE In the previous paragraphs I have explained human walking in a broad context. Our culture and hiking are closely intertwined and determine how we treat our landscape. It clarifies why the western world is so destructive to that landscape, but also to ourselves. There is an interaction between human burnout and the burnout projected on our planet.11 Everything is intertwined, making causes and effects extremely complex. Our brain is no longer able to oversee the situations, resulting in stress, depression and burnout. Retreat to simplicity and train your brain through walking. Letting yourself return to that simple rhythm can be relieving and healing in this. The attention recovery theory endorses that the natural environment has a restorative effect on well-being. Our experience of the landscape contributes to nurturing a sense of being subjective. According to psychologists, the environment in which we walk must contain three important elements in order to have a restorative effect. It must give the feeling that you are away from your daily life, contain captivating visual and other sensory elements, be spacious and expansive. “The increasing pressures of modern life tend to increase mental fatigue, but restorative experiences in nature may reduce it. This restorative effect is best achieved through exposure to natural environments, which play an essential role in normal human

functioning.”12 Walking is a simple and slow way of activating the brain for new experiences and recovery from stress. The slowness and apparent simplicity of walking in the landscape is also sought to be reflected in the architecture of the shelters. There is a kind of intuitive rhythm to the design, which is also so characteristic of our slow gait. The body is an extension of our brain. The shelters are a synergy between the consciousness of the place and the consciousness of the designing person. A very conscious construction method was sought. On one side harking back to what has existed for centuries, but then with the knowledge and skills of contemporary construction technology and architecture. By assigning value to materials and using them directly on the spot, you remove the complexity from the designs. You design with nature without harming her. The chapter ‘Mountains’ povides more detail about the importance of the Alpine landscape and the damage we see occurring there. It is about a balance between protecting the landscape without wanting to posses and dominate it. 11 | Maarhuis| Moeder Aarde is de spiegel van onze ziel | 22/04/2020 12 | O’Mara | ‘Te voet’ | 142 Image 21 : Picture august 19, 2020 near Passo Bornengo. Three important elements of the landscape.away from the everyday, expansive and sensory fascinating.

Image 22 : Picture august 19, 2020 Near Maighels Glacier in the morning of day 2. wanderes passing by make small monuments with the stones that lie there while taking a breath. It is simple and slow and requires a certain concentration for balance. A synergy between the apparent simplicity of walking and the apparent simplicity of making

THE MOUNTAINS In 2018 I walked my first trekking from mountain hut to mountain hut. In this I found myself in the Swiss Alps. But in addition to the beauty of the landscape, I also saw the decay and pain of the landscape. I see mother nature as a mother of all life. A mother who has cared for humanity like her own child. In humans, the mother takes care of her children for a long time. We usually don’t disconnect from our mothers for the rest of our lives and later we will take care of her as she gets older. It is typical human behavior that other animals rarely do. Mother nature has taken care of us for a long enough. It’s time to return the favor and take care of the mother of life. She is on her deathbed and is getting more and more exhausted by the day. This exhaustion begins to show itself sharply against the landscape. In the previous chapter I explained how we as humans have evolved into the attitudes that are so destructive to the landscape. It is clearly a western idea of how the landscape works. This Western idea has also been the starting point for me, despite my immense fascination with, for example, Buddhism, in which people clearly have a different attitude to the landscape. It has been a conscious choice to approach the research from the perspective of Western culture. This is because I want to expose what this attitude does and how we can change within this culture. I grew up with our western mountain hiking culture.

During the research it has also been a struggle to distance myself from this culture and to be guided by the mountain landscape. Nature for me is a place where I can break free from society, where I can wander endlessly. I can honestly say that being in the mountains feels like coming home to me, even though none of it is physically mine. It is my mental relationship with the landscape in which I find freedom. The chapter ‘Mountains’ is about the landscape as a living being. The signs of decay in the landscape. How the modern Swiss mountain huts are built and construction methods that are closer to nature as the basis for my design research. Then I will further substantiate the choice for the location of the tour and what can be found there. Some images of different places on the route have already passed. These moments of mind-wandering are given a place in this chapter and the following chapters. Image 24: Passing Gamchiglacier | august 7 2018 Paths are barely visible, a pair of wooden planks to represent a bridge point me across a ravine between two ice walls. Tens of meters below me, the water rushes through the gap in the ice. This bridge is not fixed. The combination of sun and metal makes it impossible to fix it in the meters thick ancient ice. I slowly move my feet and feel the wood bend under my weight. In the middle of this bridge, the sound of the water is deafening and terrifying. I move on crossing the unreliable ice of the glacier. Consciousness engulfs me, the ease of walking and the danger of falling. At my next rest stop, I look back at the glacier and the memory it gave me.

> DISAPPEARING GLACIERS The Alps under pressure In the summer of 2019, Europe was hit by a large number of heat waves in June and July. After 14 days of sustained heat, the glaciers were measured to have lost 800 million tons of snow and ice in those days. Visualized in the image alongside: An ice cube that is 3 times as high as the Eiffel Tower. Enough drinking water to supply all 8.5 million Swiss people for a year.2 That the glaciers are melting is nothing new. Since 1850, the glaciers in the Alps have already declined by 60% and by the end of this century the glaciers will be disappeared almost completely. Half of all glaciers in the Alps will disappear in the next 30 years. The glaciers we encounter during the Pilgrimage will probably have disappeared before 2030. Glaciers respond slowly to global warming. Even if we were to drastically change our behavior today, it is already too late to save a large part of the Alps. With the melting of the Glaciers, the underlying permafrost (permanently frozen ground) will eventually also Melt. The thawing of the permafrost puts a lot of pressure on the mountain walls because water that has been stored here for thousands of years runs out of the mountain. You can see the permafrost as the binding component that keeps the mountain tops together. The melting will make the mountain walls unstable,

resulting in stone avalanches. In 2017, the largest stone avalanche in 130 years took place in the canton of Graubünden. Four million cubic meters of rock and mud fell to the ground and engulfed the village of Bondo.3 2 (image 29) | Jorio | ‘Glaciers and the changing landscape in the Alps’ | 26/08/2019 3 | Hens | ‘Klimaatverandering doet de bergen wankelen’ | 21/09/2017

This glacier will be gone by 2030. The images show the Maighels Glacier. Here is a sequence of three images showing how much the glacier has melted over the past 40 years. For this glacier, the consequences are irreversible. The Maighels Glacier will disappear in the coming years.

Image 29: the ‘icecube’ melted from the Alps in just a few week in 2019.

Image 31 : Picture august 18, 2020 view of the Maighels Glacier during the first day of the Pilgrimage Image 32-34 : Photos of the glacier shrinking in less than 40 years. Note: No exact date is known for this photo comparison. Every year is slightly different but the message is unavoidable.

Glaciers along the route.

Start Pilgrimage Oberalppass Shelter 1 Felsen

The image on the right shows the route of the 5-day Pilgrimage. From the first shelter we have a view of the Maighels Glacier. The map shows how strong it has melted. - Red 1850 - Green 1973 - Blue 2010

Maighelsglacier 3 big reservoirs connected to the hydroelectric power station

All the glaciers we see on this map will be disappeared by 2030. It is the river Rhine that rises in this area and now always provides the inhabitants of the valley with clean drinking water. Due to the warming of the Alps, it will become drier in the summer months. It is hard to imagine that the consequences here are already irreversible. Much water from the mountains is now backed up in the reservoirs. These reservoirs are now a major source of energy in this area. If the glaciers have disappeared permanently, this will also have major consequences for the energy supply.4 In the future the reservoirs will have a different balance. Where snow now remains in the mountains and melts gradually throughout the spring and summer to fill the reservoirs, in the future rainwater will be collected directly in the reservoir. In the summer it will be drier and the reservoirs will be empty for a long time at times of drought. This could mean a shortage of energy and drinking water.

4 | Harby | ‘Dams-and-their-uncertain-future’ | 24/03/2017 Image 30: Red 1850 Geen 1973 Blue 2010

MOUNTAINTOURISM Mountains used to be climbed only for practical reasons. As mentioned in the previous chapter, this changed during the Romantic era. During this period, the landscape was deified and hikers were looking for union with the landscape. Today, the mountains are climbed for aesthetic purposes. Where this was previously an individual that was located in the landscape. Some places in the mountains are becoming more and more popular. In recent years we have seen larger groups of tourists head into the mountains for the beautiful views. However, the poetic purpose of being there alone with the overwhelming landscape has been diluted. For many of these tourists, it is all about a brief moment of being at the destination. The journey there often has to be fast and preferably with little effort. To meet this need, roads are being built to get near these places by car, or there are cable cars that criss-cross the landscape. I call this tourism the ‘been there, done that’ culture. The goal is just to be able to say you’ve been there. This attitude also reflects a large part of our goaloriented society full of life goals that you must have accomplished. It’s not about the journey, the destination and the message, but to be able to say that you’ve been there, so that you can share that with the whole world. During my Pilgrimage I tried to create a tension of a design that

people would like to see, but which has been reduced to the essence. In this way I want to introduce awareness and submission to the landscape. The journey in time creates a physical effort in the landscape. The architecture of the shelters should be unobtrusive and part of the bigger picture, but interesting enough that people will accept that it will take several days to get there. The designs only offer shelter to the people who dare to throw themselves back on the essence. With this I want my visitors to consciously deal with the landscape and themselves.

Image 35 : Photo of large groups of tourism in the mountains near Gornegrat for a photo of the Zermatt summit. You can go here by train. The Gornegrat hotel is equipped with every luxury and provides the highest shopping mall in Europe, in case of bad weather. Everything to meet the needs of the fast tourist.

> MODERN SWISS MOUNTAINHUTS A number of things are essentially different in these modern mountain huts in relation to their older versions. Where old mountain huts were built with local stones and wood, the new huts are often made of light materials. Camona Da Terri is an exception. The construction costs are striking in the analyzes. These are often lower when the hut is built with traditional materials. Height and accessibility also play a role here. Building with a helicopter is expensive and requires the necessary accuracy regarding to dimensions and weight. This makes the costs of the Monte Rosa Hutte extremely high. Also remarkable is the large amount of space needed to accommodate all the installations of these modern huts. In almost all cases, approximately 25% of the built volume is for installations and engineering to provide luxury. The Monte Rosa Hutte stands out strongly against its surroundings. What I find remarkable is that I have always learned to take a reflective surface with me into the mountains in case of emergency. Making a reflective mountain hut on top of melting permafrost seems curious from my point of view. The material is all delivered by helicopter and prepared in the factory. In this way, an enormous amount of building materials are extracted from nature and moved all over the world, on their way to these mountain peaks. The mountain huts have turned from shelters to a high-tech misfit from different places of the world. This way of building gives a project

a footprint that overshadows the entire world. Raw materials are extracted, processed and moved in a way that they can never return to their original place and state. If these mountain huts collapse due to the changing conditions in the mountains, not only will the hut be lost but a great pile of rubbish will remain in the landscape. The SAC also seems to be asking itself these critical questions about their changing mountain architecture. How much modernity is required in these secluded places and at what cost?

“Wie viel Modernität wird benötigt, welcher Komfort ist überflüssig? Ist eine autarke

energiegewinnung überhaupt möglich, und wenn ja, zu welchem Preis?”

“Hoeveel moderniteit is noodzakelijk en welk comfort is overbodig. Is een autarkische

energiewinning mogelijk, en zo ja, tegen welke Image 46: Phote of the traditional mountain hut Camona Da Terri 1925 quote page 41: Zettel |’SAC-hüttenarchitektur’ | 9

prijs?”

BUILDING WITH NATURE Vernacular Architecture Vernacular literally means the tongue or language of a certain region. In architecture we use this phrase vernacular architecture to express the construction method and architecture that characterize a region or environment. This can be traced back to the materials that occur in the environment in which the climate plays an important role as well. areas with heavy rainfall generally have large pitched and steep roofs.

that has been lubricated. Depending on the snow height in winter, this basement is built higher or lower so that the wood remains ‘dry’ during the winter. Image 48: Picture august 2019, Traditional architecture in the old town of Vrin. Quote: Edwards | ‘archdaily.com’ | 12/08/2011

In the Swiss Alps we traditionally see a lot of wooden constructions with stone roofs. Depending on the altitude and the type of stone, you can distinguish different areas in the Alps. The photo on the right shows traditional barns and a house in the small village of Vrin in the Graubünden Canton. In this area you will find a lot of Zweiglimmergneis rocks. This is a rock that is formed under high pressure in combination with heat. In this area, this happens with sediments, so that the rock itself has a layered structure. Depending on the pressure, the layers of the rock lie relatively loose on top of each other, so that they break down like slate. These are laid overlapping on the roof to form a watertight layer. Depending on the barn or house, the wood is processed. A lot of detail has been added to the house and the construction looks well closed. It stands on a base of stone

“Vernacular architecture, the simplest form of addressing human needs, is seemingly forgotten in modern architecture. However,

due to recent rises in energy costs, the trend has sensibly swung the other way. Architects are embracing regionalism and cultural building traditions, given that these structures have proven to be energy efficient and altogether sustainable. In this time of

rapid technological advancement and urbanization, there is still much to be learned from the traditional knowledge of vernacular

construction. These low-tech methods of creating housing which is

perfectly adapted to its locale are brilliant, for the reason that

these are the principles which are more often ignored by prevailing architects.”

Genius Loci (spirit of the place) In order to be able to build with nature, extensive research has been done into the environment of the shelters. Normally you create a design with program of requirements. But that is when you take a design form a human perspective. When you reverse this toward the landscape, You don’t need a program of requirement but the essence of the place. By putting the essence of the place above the needs of people, the designs broke free from the idea that functions had to be assigned. Essence of the place can also be understood as the Genius Loci. An old concept for the spirit of the place. Definition: In ancient times, “Genius Loci” meant the protective spirit of a particular area; nowadays it is mainly used in a metaphorical sense, to emphasize the ‘uniqueness’ of a location.11 Landscape as a living being The landscape should be seen as a living being with which we can build a relationship. Architecture is in a sense the connecting between landscape and people. By using the materials from the landscape and giving them a human scale. The architecture itself may also remain alive in this. This means that the materials are borrowed. The materials remain close to their original location. Eventually, without maintenance, the structures will

return to the landscape over time. The landscape will consume them and new energy will be released to grow new landscape. This interaction can create architecture that only costs human time and care and doesn’t damage or disrupt the landscape. Everything has a time to be alive. People, architecture and landscape. In the end we all belong to this earth. Time When we think about time we rarely think about a period of millions of years. But the Alps have been alive for 150 million years.12 They grow and erose over thousands of years. The glaciers are living together with the Alps for 10,000 years and the permafrost is holding the peaks together for all that time. Trees are present for several hundred years and, together with others they take care of their forest and the fauna that inhabits it. The time for human individuals is often less than a 100 years and the time of humanity is only about 60,000 years.13 Despite the fact that we only embody the earth for such a short time, in recent generations man has managed to damage the balance with the inhabitants who have been living here for millions or thousands of years. We endanger this ancient balance with our recent lifestyle and behavior.

Photo Gamchigletsjer august 2018

LOCATION Where in Switzerland The route starts from the Graubünden Canton in Switzerland. This canton is characterized by its rugged nature, the area is sparsely populated and the traditional Swiss Rhaeto-Romance language is spoken. In addition to the Graubünden Canton, the route also runs through the Canton of Ticino. This Canton borders on Italy and therefore mainly Italian is spoken. The tour starts in the town of Disentis/Muster. The name of this place means: (disentis - desertina - deserted) a desolate area at the junction of two valleys connected by the monastery (muster - monasterium - monastery). This junction refers to the geographical split where two valleys meet. One valley leads towards the Oberalppass and the other valley towards the Lukmanierpass. A pass is a high transition between 2 mountain peaks. The valley where Disentis/Muster is located was difficult to reach because of the high mountain passes. Nevertheless, the Lukmanier Pass was already an important route to travel to Italy around the year 720 when the Abbey of Disentis was built. Today, the Oberalppass and the Lukmanierpass are closed in winter. Depending on the amount of snow and the start of the winter season, these often open in late April and usually close again in November. From the town of Disentis/Muster the train goes to the Oberalppass where the tour will start on foot. After

five days of hiking, the tour comes to an end at the Lukmanierpass. From here a bus returns to Disentis/ Muster. Due to its height, the route is only safe for hikers in summer. Depending on the year, the route is accessible from the end of June to the end of September. Accessibility and weather should always be checked locally at the various information points. Graubunden

Ticino

Image 53 : Map Switzerland with Cantons. The route will take place in the canton Graubunden and Ticino. Image 54 : Hikingmap Pilgrimage in which the route and shelters are projected.

WANDELKAART PELGRIMAGE

DISENTIS/MUSTER

1 KM

Disentis/Muster

Start route Oberalppas

Tomasee FELSEN

Shelter 1

Felsen

DAMM

End route

Manifest Damm Passo Bornengo

highest altitude STEIN

KAMIN

NEST

Shelter 2 Nest

schaal 1:20000

GSEducationalVersion

Shelter 4 Stein

Shelter 3 Kamin

FOUND In evolution, the unique ability of walking on 2 legs ensured that our hands were free to take materials with us to shape our environment. In order to look for the connection with the landscape, the language of vernacular architecture is introduced. How has the landscape formed over time and what materials can be found on the route to create space. This was done by finding out what the structure of the soil was and by looking at what grows and happens on this soil. Ultimately, it was decided for each location which materials will be used and how they will be used. Wood and resin at the tree line, lime from the geological Trias, dried mountain plants, minerals from metamorphic rocks and sediment layers, or loose Zweiglimmergneis that has broken down in layers. By learning the language of these materials, a new vernacular began to emerge. A language that reveals the essence of the place.

Gneiss clay | adobe Lokalmoräne Hangschutt

Glacier

Zweiglimmergneis

Lime |dolomit Limestone| marble

Image 59 : Map with geological layers and soil types.

3 KM 0

Ge http

www.geo.admin.ch ist ein Portal zur Einsicht von geolokalisierten Informationen, Daten und Diensten, die von öffentlichen Einrichtungen zur Verfügung gestellt w Haftung: Obwohl die Bundesbehörden mit aller Sorgfalt auf die Richtigkeit der veröffentlichten Informationen achten, kann hinsichtlich der inhaltlichen Richtigkeit, Vollständigkeit dieser Informationen keine Gewährleistung übernommen werden.Copyright, Bundesbehörden der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft. http://ww © swisstopo

- Zweiglimmergneis -

- metamorphic rocks - moraine and clay -

- limestone -

- wood and resin -

Image 60 : Photo of the found and collected materials during the trekking.

- dried mountain plants and hay -

DAY 1 We start the route at the Oberalp Pass 2041 m.ü.M. The road of this pass that many tourists cross is clearly present. The path deviates from the road and goes up to the Tomasee (Rheinquelle). The trail starts off sloping but soon climbs steeply and becomes more rocky. The sound and the view of the inhabited valley disappears. The clear blue Tomasee looms between the mountains. The water disappears between the mountains and we follow it a bit in its way down the mountain. Then our ways part. In the distance, the remnant of the Maighels Glacier is visible against the wall of the mountain. The Maighels Valley is known for its rich minerals and rock crystal. The valley itself is swampy and green. Here and there boulders are scattered like the inhabitants of this landscape. Felsen is the German translation for rock. Felsen is a shelter to reside like a rock in the landscape.

Image 61 : Photo the trail up and the inhabited valley. Image 62 : Photo The spring of the Rhine river. from here the Rhine flows 1320 km until the mouth in the Netherlands Image 63: Photo Tomasee | Lai da Tuma A bright bleu lake at 2344 m.ü.M. Image 64 : Photo Follow the trail towards the glacier

The Felsen design is inspired by the rocks in this landscape and the way the wanderers use these rocks. They are the clean and dry places to stay in this wet alpine meadow for a short break while trekking. For the design of Felsen, it was therefore sought to design a rock as a Shelter for the night.

Image 65 : Photo The rocks as inhabitants of the landscape at the foot of Lai Carin 2260 m.ü.M. Image 66 : Photo Rocks are clean and dry places to rest in the wet Alpine meadows.

STONE, MINERALS AND BIOBASED CONCREET The Maighels Valley is known for its variety in different rocks and minerals.1 This site has a thick layer of sand and clay that has been deposited over millions of years by the water from the mountain peaks around us. Due to the different geological layers, there is a diverse palette of materials. Rocks often form because they bond together under pressure and heat. We also know rocks that bind hydraulically by water. Or types that dry out such as clay and loam.

cement.

The rock verucanno2, a metamorphic rock found in this mountain range, contains volcanic ash. In addition, in the moraine layer that comes from the glacier, clay and loam can be found as binding components. It seems that all these materials come together at Lai Carin. Concrete, and especially cement in concrete, is responsible for 7% of total CO2 emissions worldwide.3 Scientists who are looking for a more sustainable type of concrete look back to the time of the Romans and their Pozzolan concrete (opus caementicium)4. At that time lime in combination with volcanic ash (puzzolan) was used to bind hydraulically to form the building material. In addition, the pozzolan concrete used less binding components than the regular types of concrete.5 It is therefore quite possible to make concrete without the polluting ingredient cement. The minerals from Maighel’s valley seem suited for making a type of concrete without

- metamorphic rocks - moraine and clay -

LOCATION The location of Felsen is at Lai Carin, a small lake with meltwater from the glacier and a source of the Rhine river. The location can be reached up to 65m via a gravel road to transport tools during construction.

road Lai Carin Location Felsen

< p ilg

rim

age

ge < pilgrima

Image 69 : Drawing 3D overview from the location and the surroundings Image 70 : Fhoto Right lai Carin and left de Maighels gletsjer. The gravel path in the middle and the Rhine that runs down through the landscape like a crystal necklace

> THE PROCES OF EXPERIMENTING WITH MODELS By making models physically, the brain is activated. Making the models became a way to consciously stay occupied with the landscape and everything that matter at this fragile site.

3550

Digging the negative (mold) into the earth. Making the imagination of what the model should be. Shaping the spaces by making them as masses (interior space). The earth that sticks together, but always retains a certain roughness (texture). After excavating this model, it continued to fascinate me.

Image 84 en 85 : Final model Design Felsen Model with sand, clay, minerals, lime and water. top view en Right elevation

1300

2530

2660

6850

The model is full of surprises in the layering of textures and spaces of how the materials reacted to each other during the time I was building it. It’s a form of mutual respect that I was looking for in designing. How I can make this together with the earth, where I respect that the earth has its own ideas and boundaries just is I have my ideas and boundaries as well. The design was a contribution of man and nature. I shape the space and the events that I envision here. The earth finishes it and designs the details down to the last grain of sand.

6850

SITUATION Position of the model in the landscape Lai Carin is a mountain lake at 2255 meters high. At 65 meters from the location is a gravel path which makes it possible to get here with a small truck. On the west side, several streams of water run into the lake and on the east side it continues down. Felsen stands on the north side of the lake.

SCHOTTERWEG

REIN DA MAIGHELS PILGRIMAGE

+2.280 M +2.270 M

+2.260 M

FELSEN

65 M

T3 MOUNTAIN TRAIL LAI CARIN 2.255 M

+2.250 M

+2.240 M

Image 86 :Situation drawing Image 87 :Situation drawing

SITUATION

20 M

PLAN A place to escape to cold wind during the night. The view of the glacier and the reflection of the sunset in the lake. And above all, a room to stay dry from rain and rising damp.

awaken by the morning sun from the east appearing behind the mountains

Embraced by Felsen to stay out of the wind

Reflection of the setting sun on the water. Viewpoint towards the glacier

Imange 88 : Plan Image 89 : position 3D model at the site

PLAN

1 M

SECTION The sun will set behind the Schwartzberg and cast its last rays over the lake. To come out from behind the mountains in the east the next morning and awaken the pilgrim. We safely reside in Felsen and MAIGHELSGLETSJER overlook the Maighels Glacier.

Image 90 : Section and panorama

PASSO BORNENGO

SCHWARTZBERG

FELSEN A ROCK TO RESIDE

DAY 2 The morning arrives, the sleeping bag is rolled up and the shoes are put on again. The Day starts with a climb that gets steeper as the morning progresses. The alpine meadow changes into the landscape of stone. The glacier on our left makes a disturbing sound under the morning sun. The streams of water are ice cold. The landscape beneath our feet should also have been covered in ice as it was thousands of years before. But now the ice has disappeared here. Around noon we finally climbed up to Passo Bornengo, the highest point of the route at 2633 m.ü.M. It is the cantonal border between Graubünden and Ticino. At this point we look back to the Maighels Valley and forward to the Canaria Valley where the trail will steeply moves down. The rocky landscape slowly changes into a dry surface with grass. The southern flanks of the mountains are dry in the summer months. After a descent of 600m, the route takes us to the treeline, the high treeline at 2000m. Here the second shelter Nest can be found.

Image 99 : Photo | the glacier that should have been under our feet Image 100 : Photo | water from the glacier with Passo Bornengo tight behind it. Image 101: Photo | The rubble that remains when the ice disappears. Image 102 : Photo |at Passo Bornengo 2633 m.ü.M when you look back at the Maighels valley

NEST BETWEEN TIMBER The Nest design is inspired by the way many animal live in the trunks or between the branches of trees. Wood is a material that is often associated with the feeling of home. It was decided to design the nest based on the piles of logs that you often encounter during a hike. The Shelter is carved out of the logs allowing residence in the heart of the pile of timber. The space is made wind and waterproof by using the resin from the trees to fill the spaces between the trunks. Image 106 : Photo | Timber is a place to create your own space like this animal did. Image 107 : Photo | A pile of timber in the landscape

WOOD AND RESIN Wood The trees that grows in this area is the Pinus. Better known as the Den. Due to the height of 2000 m.ü.M, it is likely that the Swiss pine (Punis Cembra) grows at the location of Nest. Scots pine, black pine and mountain pine can also occur here.

tradition that can be found in the Austrian Alps, among other places. Today, many uses of resin are being replaced by using petroleum to make synthetic resins. These methods are less labour-intensive and cheaper. However, harvesting resin from pine trees is sustainable and renewable.4

The Punis family is known for being resinous trees. The Swiss pine has a silver-grey bark. The wood can vary from yellowish to reddish brown in the core. The Swiss pine is widely used for making furniture because of its easy workability. In addition, the resin in the tree is antibacterial, which means that the wood is often used in places that are susceptible to fungus.1 The Swiss pine is also said to have a healing effect.2

In Nest’s design, the resin glue will be used to make the space waterproof and give it an deep yellow glow during sunrise and sunset.

Resin Resin protects the tree when the bark is damaged. It forms a layer over the ‘wound’ that prevents infections. Resin from conifers is sticky, transparent and has an deep yellow color. It is not soluble in water and is widely used for adhesive applications or to make objects waterproof. To make glue from the resin, the resin must be boiled. Charcoal or rabbit or deer feces can be added during cooking to make the glue less brittle.3 The resin can be harvested by damaging the bark of the tree. A

1 | Wikipedia | ‘Alpenden’

- hout en hars -

PHYSICAL AND VISUAL ACCESSIBILITY Nest’s location is on the edge of the tree line. From the nest you look out over the inhabited valley and the city of Airolo in the distance. Buildings are visible on the other side of the valley and sounds can be heard from the lower Paután. But despite the fact that civilization seems close by, it is still at least 6 hours’ walk. There is a strong contrast between what is visually and physically accessible

Location

Nest

Laghetto Dell‘Alpe Paután

pilgrimage >

Image 112 : Drawing 3D overview of the location and it’s surroundings Image 113 : Photo Treeline the city of Airolo visible in the valley.

> THE PROCES OF MODELS By making models physically, the brain is activated, so that making the models became a way to consciously stay occupied with that landscape.

Image 124 en 125 : Model The Design Nest Model pine and resin | Elevations

3000

2800

7000

2800

Working with wood is patient and precise work. In the final model, the choice was made to place the woodpile on four long logs so that the pile itself will be ventilated above the ground. When constructed like this the pile will rot less quickly. The logs are three meters long so that at the middle of the logs there is enough mass to make a space large enough to sleep inside the Nest. The space in the model can be approached from the short side. Here an opening transverse trough the logs, so that the woodpile can remain stable. To guarantee this stability, the logs are tensioned with two tension straps.The woodpile is 2.8 meters high, seven meters long and three meters wide.

PLAN Nest can be approached from the south. At the right side of the interior there is a place to sit and enjoy the view. This place organically transforms into the sleeping area when you move along into in the interior of the woodpile. Outside, on the west side, a small sitting area has been created where you can watch the sun set behind the mountains. Once dark, the villages in the valley and the city of Airolo will light up. The woodpile is built on 4 logs so that Nest remains ventilated. Tension straps are applied between the logs to keep the Nest stable and functional as one mass.

logs for ventilation

straps

interior space to sleep

look out over the valley and the houses against the mountain side. Here the sun sets behind te mountains across the valley

Image 128 : Plan Image 129 : 3D model

PLAN

1 M

SECTION In Nest the pilgrim can rest for the night. The wood of the Swiss pine seems to have a healing effect that helps sleeping.

SECTION Image 130 en 131 : Sectionn in panorama

1 M

BUILDINGMETHOD

BUILDINGMETHOD 2 M

The trees at the location are sorted by the length and thickness of their trunk to make the woodpile Early on, before the construction of Nest can begin, some trunks will be injured to extract the resin from these trees.

The pines are cut down and the branches around the trunk are removed.

The branches are used to make fire to cook the resin for the glue and the charcoal is used to make the glue less brittle.

After the trees have been cut, a pile of logs is made just above the ground. These are additionally tensioned with tension straps.

Then the sawing, grating, and planing can begin. The space can be carefully designed as long as there is sufficient bearing capacity in the whole pile.

The remaining branches can be taken to the valley as fuel. Or to location 3 Image 133 : Sequence of the buildingmethod

NEST BETWEEN TIMBER The space is finally planed and sanded to a smooth surface. The annual rings and flames tell the history of the trees and there live at this place. A natural resin can be made with the tree resin that runs out of the trunks. The spaces between the trunks are filled at the surface with this bio resin. This resin and function as translucent glass, which spreads an ocher glow in the space when the sun is low during the early morning or evening

Image 134 en 135 : Photo interior space model

NEST BETWEEN TIMBER

DAY 3 The third Day the route descends further into the woods. The scent of the pine trees in the morning smells fresh, clean and full of life. The insects zoom and the birds chirp. In the distance, dull sounds from the city of Airolo can be heard but we hardly see this place. All senses are stimulated in the rhythm of our walk. The path meanders first down and then up between the trees. Until the background of the forest turns into a gray mass. From the forest, the route is abruptly crossed by road and a high dam. Behind this Dam we see the reservoir of Lago Ritom as a background. A few tourists are present along the reservoir. They are probably here to visit the dam for a day or take one of the day-hike trails. It is August and the water in the reservoir is low. The lake is completely depending on rainwater because the glaciers in this area have disappeared. The south-facing mountains ensure that the snow melts quickly in the spring. Due to the dry summer and the high energy demand of the Gothard tunnel, the lake is quickly emptying. At the back of the lake, the path leads back up to the tranquility of the Alpine landscape. The rocks change color. The gray stone changes to white limestone rocks. Between the mountains a blue lake with a white beach appear. It is a unusual almost tropical scenery. On the north side of the lake, a white figure like an old lime hearth protrudes from the landscape. It

is Kamin the third shelter along the route. Kamin is the German translation for hearth.

Image 141 : Photo | the valley

the inhabited places across

Image 143 : Photo dam at the resevoir of Lago Ritom

FOCUS OF THE HEARTH In the lee between the mountains is an Alpine meadow. This time not soggy but with dry stalky and grass. The smell of this grass brought back the memories of hay and the hay stacks that lay in the Alps during the hikes. Kamin is the German translation for hearth. The design makes the imprint of the haystack. By coating it with the lime from the limestone rocks. Eventually, Kamin will burn like a hearth in the landscape, leaving the negative of the haystack as a space.

- dried mountain plants and hay -

- limestone -

TRIAS Lago Di Tom is located on the border of two geological layers. The Gothard Massive consisting of Gneiss, Granite and Glimmerschist and the Triassic layer. Trias consists, as the name suggests, out of 3 layers. Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper. The layer that we can distinguish at Lago Di Tom is a marine-based Muschelkalk. This means that the rock was formed by an accumulation of calcareous remains of former marine life.1 Lime is a porous rock that, when heated, can serve as a binding agent with a hydraulic effect (reacts with water). To make limestone the binding agent, the limestone must be heated on fire. The stones must be heated until they break. The stones are cooled with water as they are raked together so that they break and pulverize. After that, the mixture should be well covered with sand. The lime must rest for 6 days before it can be used as a binding agent.2 For Kamin, the branches left over from the Nest (Shelter 2) will serve as firewood to stoke the fire for the limestones. North of the lake a haystack will be built with the grasses that grow there.

Gotthard-Massiv Lago Di Tom Trias

www.geo.admin.ch ist ein Portal zur Einsicht von geolokalisierten Informationen, Daten und Diensten, die von öffentlichen Einrichtungen zur Verfügung gest Haftung: Obwohl die Bundesbehörden mit aller Sorgfalt auf die Richtigkeit der veröffentlichten Informationen achten, kann hinsichtlich der inhaltlichen Richtig Vollständigkeit dieser Informationen keine Gewährleistung übernommen werden.Copyright, Bundesbehörden der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft. http: © swisstopo

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY The location of Kamin is at the north side of the mountain lake Lago Di Tom 2020 m.ü.M. The lake is located in a lee surrounded by steep mountains. Around the lake a dry Alpine meadow with long stalks of grass is located. The location is accessible from the south. The reservoir Lago Ritom can be reached by funicular from there it is a 1.5 to 2 hour walk to the location.

Alpine meadow Location Kamin Lago Di Tom

< pilgrimage

The wood from the previous location can also be supplied using a different trail which passes a mountain pass near Pizzo Tom. On the south side of the site are the limestone rocks on the surface and on the north side the Alpine meadow where the grass will be mowed for the hay stack < pil gr

image

d < woo

Image 155 : Drawing 3D overview of the location and immediate surroundings Image 156 : Photo Lago di Tom with the white limestone rocks on the surface

BUILT, SCULPT AND BURNED OUT

The experiment with lime and hay arose from the question of how these 2 materials would react to each other.The lime forms around the hay, creating all kinds of spaces in between. A curiosity developed to discover what gaps if you removed the hay leaving only the lime. To remove the hay I burned the hay between the lime so the spaces could appear.

This resulted in the following studie models. By making a haystack and cover it with lime. After sculpting, the model is burned out and a space remains as residue from the hay stack. The drawing of the hay is still clearly visible in the lime.

This was more difficult to achieve on a larger scale because the lime runs down between the hay. In the first sketch design it was therefore decided to use stones from the north side of the location to make an outer surface. So that the lime could be deposited layer by layer between the hay stack and the stones.

Image 157 : Model, first study to discover the combination between hay and lime Image 158 - 161 : Model sequence during the proces

> BUILT, SCULPT AND BURNED OUT

4520 6020

Initially, the tradition haystack is built. This haystack forms the basis for the model. The lime is mixed with the hay, which is placed around the pile as a plaster cast. During production, the lime heats up in its hydraulic reaction with the water. The lime covers the stalks of hay airtight so that the fibers will not rot. The openings and holes in the model have been molded by our own hands by pulling the hay apart and placing extra hay against the wall where the model unfolds. When the base has hardened, it is coated with a final layer of lime, making it wind and watertight. After the lime has dried and hardened, I curiously light the model. When the smoke has cleared and the hay has burned out, the inner world of this hearth will arise. The carbonized black surface on the inside protects the model from rotting.

2570

With this technique you can build up the haystack in layers and make openings in the skin by sculpting them at the intended locations.

750

580

6020

5540

Image 168 t/m 170 : Model The design of Kamin Model lime and hay.

PLAN On the southwest side of the model, Kamin slides open, creating a narrow opening to enter the shelter. At the backside facing north, there is a second opening that overlooks the waterfall of the mountain lakes above. In addition, the top is left open which is necessary to create an upwards airflow during the burnout. Later the opening is a stargazer during the beautiful clear nights. Inside, Kamin has a rough black texture that was left as a negative from the haystack. It forms a sharp contrast with the white smooth exterior surface. A bench will later be created at the inside. This bench will be made of stones, which will be coated with a layer of lime. The bench will remain white as part of the ground lifted up to create a dry surface to sleep and sit on inside the heart of Kamin.

look out at the waterfall through the opening

The smooth white outside world as a lime kiln in the landscape

the hearth in the heart of Kamin

The black rough inner

world as the residue of the hay

The model slides open

creating a narrow passage

Image 173 : Plan Image 174 : 3D model in the landscape

PLAN 1 M

SECTION The elevation will be widened and will eventually gain sufficient width to serve as a sleeping place.

laghetti Di Taneda waterval

LAGO DI TOM 2.020 M

SECTION Image 176 : Section in panorama

1 M

BUILDINGMETHOD

2 M

The Haystack can be built with on base of a few small sticks. Long and stalky grass is twisted and knotted around to form a high pile of hay.

The lime stones are heated and broken in a hole in the ground so that it can form a hydraulic connection with water.

Hay and lime are mixed to pack the haystack like a plaster cast. The wall is built in layers, when the wall its construction is strong enough. The surface is coated with a number of layers of lime. After that, the packed haystack will harden.

Once dry, the hay will be lit through the opening. The organic material burns and chars/carbonates the walls.

The white hearth remains as residue from the haystack. The smooth, lubricated exterior contrasts sharply with the raw burnt black texture on the interior. Image 177 : Sequence of the buildingmethod

KAMIN FOCUS OF THE HEARTH

DAY 4 After 3 days of intensive trekking, significant muscle pain usually occurs. But despite that, the body feels energized. By staying at height elevations for a longer period of time, the body will produce more red blood cells to properly transport the lower percentage of oxygen through the body. This phenomenon is also widely used in sports under the term height training (hoogtestage). With new energy, we hike up steeply the first part of the 4th Day. The grass is soggy and the landscape feels more nourished. At the end of this long climb in the morning, the alpine meadow turns into a landscape of rocks and stone. The loose stones shift under my feet. The stones are no longer white but gray and shiny. They break down in flat layers throughout the valley. The trail leads eastwards between 2 mountain ridges. The peaks of these mountains are almost 3000m high and the trail itself is 700m below at 2300m height. Every now and then a small plant grows between the rocks. We follow a stream floating downhill through the landscape like a crystal necklace. In the distance, a high mountain appears

between the 2 ridges. This top is called the Scopi. The next Day our final destination point will be at the foot of this mountain. Ahead of us lies a geometric gray mass. It is Stein our fourth and last Shelter on this Pilgrimage. Logically Stein is the translation for stone. Stein forms the boundary between the previous Days and the last part of the route. Tomorrow the journey will come to an end. Stein is the time to reflect on the journey we have had so far. How do you want to go back into society?

Image 184 : Photo lookout over the Laghetti Di Taneda waterfall from Kamin

Image 185 : Photo the path up turned to stone with small amounts of snow every now and then. Image 186: Photo back to the mountain lakes of the Rhine river

REFLECTING BOUNDERIES In the landscape of stone I designed the geometric shaped Stein. Stein is inspired by an old dry building technique ‘Dry Stone Walling’. A technique to build shelters and bridges without using a binding element like lime over cement. Landowners also used this technique to mark the boundaries of their territory. Stein is the last shelter on the route to overnight on the border between the previous 4 Days and the last part of the trek. What do you bring down tomorrow?

Image 190 : Photo | Every year a herd of Yaks (Type of mountain cow of Nepalese origin) graze in this area for 3 months. These animals are suitable for this rugged area. At that time, the farmer lives in a yurt (nomad tent). Before he went to live in this tent he told me that he lived in this hut made of the stones and some wood to make the span of the roof which is covered with corrugated iron. at the moment he only keeps stocks there.

DRY STONE WALLING Dry stone wall, is an old stacking technique for building a wall from stone without a binding component. The location of Stein is ideal to use this technique because of its naturally slate-shaped stones. The stones here are a metamorphic Zweiglmergneis.

tie stone risers cap stones Tools

To build a drystone wall you need different sizes of stones. Stones that do not fit can be worked with stone chisels and various sledgehammers/ hammers. Depending on the tool, you can precisely shape the stones to make them fit.1 To build a stable wall, you have to think carefully about the natural transfer of forces of the stones. Basically you have to distinguish between 4 types of stones. - Cap stones | cornerstones - Risers | stones to vertically bind different layers together. - Tie stones | these stones lie transversely to connect the inner and outer walls. - small stones, gravel and sand to fill the space between the stones so that they remain stable. The rest of the technique is respecting the law of gravity and being very patient while stacking. Where at the previous locations organic shapes are created by the chosen techniques, the dry stacking technique works best with pure geometric shapes to transport the transfer of forces to the ground.

1 | Rimmington | ‘How to build dry-stacked stone walls’ Image 191 : Sketch to explain the technique of dry stone walling and where the different types of stone are used. Image 192 : Photo founded material

- Zweiglimmergneis -

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY The location of Stein is between 2 mountain ridges. In the valley the Reno di Medel flows. The path follows the water down. At the leftside of the route there is a small mountain lake like a mirror in the landscape. Stein’s location is on the west side of this lake.

Location

Stein

The location can only be reached on foot. From the funicular at Lago Ritom it is about an 8 hour walk. From the final location at Lai da Sontga Maria, this is a 6-hour walk. Tools and tools can be brought here with a pack animal, for example, making use of the herd of Yaks that walk here during the summer months.

i gr

Image 194 : Drawing 3D overview location and it’s direct surrounding Image 195 : Photo Reno di Medel with the mountain lake like the shard of a mirror in the landscape

STACK The technique seems simple, but it is a puzzle of thousands of pieces that just don’t fit. To learn this technique I have stacked a number of models. It is a patient and focused process to learn this technique. To create a space, two choices can be made. A large stone at the end of the walls to create a lintel to bridge the space. Another technique is using an arched construction in which the stones exert mutual force on each other to transport them vertically downwards. Making a lintel to bridge a larger space requires a very heavy stone. The arched space requires an auxiliary construction during construction. I decided to work with smaller stones which can be carried by one or two persons. To create the arched spaces I used a wooden reusable construction. This construction can be carried by a cow and after construction it will be brought down again and reused

Dividing stones into categories

The first two models are still stacked as walls of limited thickness. These are the first studies into this technique and the way of stacking by using the different types of stones found at the location

> STACK To be able to stack stone dry you need a few things: A hammer, a chisel and an auxiliary construction.

1250

2500

The stones are carefully placed. Bigger stones on the corners to make it stable. Long stones to connect the inside and outside by creating sufficient friction in the model. For each layer, the space in between is filled with smaller stones, gravel, sand, mud and clay. The stones must all remain in position as best as possible. It is a puzzle with thousands of pieces that must fit together as well as possible in order to make a sufficient space and mass.

3000

I start by stacking a plateau to flatten out the surface on which I want to build. Then I place the auxiliary construction for the first circle. I move this one and so I place a number of circles one after the other. The last circle is smaller to create a sheltered space.

4000

Image 201 t/m 202 : Model Final model of stacked stacked dry ston Front and back elevation

PLAN Stein is approached from the west as a square basement containing a circle. The circle has a plateau on which you can stay in Stein.

cap stones

You can recognize the stacking technique at the place where the Plan is cut. On the plateau itself, the stones lie flat to create a safe shelter.

tie stone stones sheltered place to sleep out of the wind

The opening at the back wall is a lot smaller, creating a wind-free corner to stay against this wall. plateau to stay

opening with a view of the mountain Scopi

risers smaller stones, gravel, sand and clay

Image 205 : Plan Image 206 : 3D model positioned in the landscape

PLAN 1 M

r lg

e >

mag

gri

pil

ELEVATION While the pilgrim withdraws and looks back to Punta Negra under which Lago di Tom is located and forward to Scopi where the end of the route will be, the farmer walks with his Yaks through the valley along the river.

Scopi

Reno Di Medel

ELEVATION Image 208 : Elevation in panorama

1 M

BUILDINGMETHOD Along the hike I met an old man. He was sitting on a small bench next to a yurt. He lived in these mountains with his herd of Yaks for three months of the year. Unfortunately I did not see his herd and despite the fact that communication was difficult, he told me how he climbed up here every year with his herd.

2 M

To make the arched space I need a wooden construction as a formwork to stack the stones. This construction will be taken up by the herd and taken down again at the end of the summer, where it can be reused.

By cleverly deploying the construction and reusing it in Stein, the entire auxiliary construction can be taken into the mountains with a very limited weight.

First, a basement is made to equalize the difference in height in the landscape. The construction is then assembled. This is stacked layer by layer with the stones found on location.

Until the circle is complete and the construction can be reused towards the back.

To make the space more sheltered, the last circle is reduced by half its size.

In Stein, The construction is demolished again and Stein in stone remains as a puzzle of thousands unequal pieces in the landscape.

Image 209 : Sequence

buildingmethod

DAY 5 Between the mountains a small water source like a shard of a mirror lies in the landscape. Look at your own reflection and think about what you can take down. What will you take with you from this journey into the future?

Image 217 : Photo the mirror in the landscape Image 218 : Photo the path down as we follow the stream Image 219 : Photo | Lai da Sontga Maria at the background the tunnel of the lukmanierpass

CONFLICT OF THE DAM After five days of intensive hiking the route ends in the landscape where man manifest themselves dominantly. Buzzing electricity pylons, a beating roar through the tunnel, and at the end of the 3km long reservoir, Lai da Sontga Maria, a immense dam. Many will associate dams with a source of renewable energy. A way to work with nature to generate energy. But this is not entirely true. It is a relatively sustainable source for meeting our energy needs. But only if you just take the human perspective in account. The dam may well represent the dichotomy we face in the modern world and the dominant position that humans are claiming. For the survival of humans, the dam generates relatively ‘sustainable’ energy.2 We can irrigate and control our agricultural lands and make areas along the rivers safer for housing because they will flood less quickly. On the other side, dams affect the natural flora and fauna.2 Ecosystems disappear under the water, while minerals and sediments remain in the reservoir, affecting biodiversity thousands of kilometers away.3 1 | Cordova et al.| ‘Protection of Biodiversity’ | Results 2 | Schwarz |‘Summary of Switzerland’s Fifth National Report under the Convention on Biological Diversity’| 3 | McAllister et al. |’Biodiversity Impacts of Large Dams’ Image 220 : Photo | The reservoir Lai da Sontga Maria with its immense dam. Image 221 : Photo august 2020 at the dam of Lai da Sontga Maria

> CONFLICT OF THE DAM It is clear that the glaciers in this area have been melting for years. As we have also seen at the Maighels Glacier during the second Day. By 2030, the glaciers in this area will already have disappeared and because glaciers react delayed on climate change, they can no longer be saved. With our current lifestyle, 50% of the glaciers will have disappeared by 2050 and the Alps will probably be ice-free by 2100. With all the consequences as discussed in the chapter ‘mountains’. If the cooling blanket of the glaciers in the Alps, among other places, disappears, the earth will warm up faster. In the future, the precipitation in the Alps will shift, where now snow largely remains in the winter and ensures a constant water supply in the summer. In the future this precipitation will fall directly in form of rain and immediately end up in the reservoir. Due to the high energy demand, storing water in the current form will become increasingly complex.

that Switzerland wants to get rid of its nuclear energy by 2034.5 Not to mention the question of how we should demolish these enormous structures.

This will ensure that the reservoirs will be empty in the summer months. As a result, the Alps will dry out further and further in the future. Due to the strong imbalance of the water level, flora and fauna cannot live in this environment. If we ask the ecologists, we will have to tear down the dams to restore ecosystems and biodiversity in these fragile environments.4 But this is a difficult task when it comes to the energy transition and the demand for ‘sustainable’ energy for human life. Certainly with the knowledge

What is now a blue reservoir in the summer months will become empty in the future. As a result, the dam largely loses its function. A concrete wall remains behind in the landscape, as visualized in this phote. 4 | Down to Earth | ‘elke verwijderde dam is het begin van iets moois’ | 12/09/2017 5 | Harby | ‘Dams-and-their-uncertain-future’ | 24/03/2017 Image 222 : Photo august 2020 | Impression of what will happen in the future when the water disappears.

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY The dam is located at the end of the 3 km long reservoir with an surface of 1.77 km2. This dam is 560m long, 117m high and was built in 1968. The mural crown is 8m wide and the foot 21m thick.6 Along the lake runs the Lukmanierpass an important route towards Italy. Previously, the road was positioned where the reservoir is now. This road has been moved and because the mountain slope of the Scopi on the east side of the lake was too steep, the road runs through a semi-open tunnel.

dam

busstop

< D ise n

tis

/Mu

The location is easily accessible from the main road to deliver tools.

Lai da Sontga Maria

tunnel Lukmanierpass

ste

ge >

rima

Only material will be removed to make the intervention of a dam.

pilg

< e

ag im

r lg pi

6 | graubuenden | Santa Maria Reservoir Image 224 : Drawing 3D overview of the location Image 225 : Photo Lai da Sontga Maria.

SITUATION The dam is located on the north side of the lake. From all directions, the lake is filled with meltwater from the mountains. The lake is approximately 86m deep when fully filled.

+2.400 m

Damm

gri

+2.300 m

mag

e >

busstop

We approach the lake from the south and walk along the west side towards Damm. The message of the latest design is already clear from great Distance

Pil

+2.200 m +2.100 m +2.000 m

+1.900 m

LAI DA SONTGA MARIA

+1.900 m +2.000 m +2.100 m +2.200 m +2.300 m +2.400 m +2.500 m +2.600 m TUNNEL

r lg

Medel > Reno di

Image 226 : Situationdrawing

SITUATION

Image 227 : Situationdrawing

500 M

MANIFEST DAMM In the future, the reservoir will continue to dry up in the summer months. The now blue lake will turn into a rocky slope where organisms will find it difficult to thrive due to the extreme conditions. The dam is already present as a manifest of humankind. It dominates this landscape and is an example of west cultural thinking. The design, as big as it is, is still a humble act compared to the damage we find here. I only make the message visible by removing and not adding anything to this human-dominated landscape.

This can mean two things: we cool the earth so that the reservoir will never be empty. If we do so, the last sentence will remain underwater forever. But even better is that we learn to live in the rhythm of nature, so that we can break down this dam and ecosystems can recover. Even then this message will never be visible. The first sentence is now clearly legible. ACT NOW!

One thing is certain. This climate crisis must end. We must do everything we can to restore the balance. With that, we need to change our behavior towards Mother Nature. The dam is the manifest of peopleoriented thinking. Man abuses the earth to provide for his needs, even if we disrupt all other life in the process. The four shelters are proof that things can be done differently. That there can also be a balance between people and nature and that architecture can play an important role in this. The dam gets the message to do things differently. With every letter I hammer into this dam I break down a small piece of the dam and nature’s cry for help becomes more and more visible. The message is clear. Mother Nature needs us before it’s too late. Let’s work together to ensure that this message never becomes fully visible. Let’s cool the earth and restore the balance.

Image 228 : manifest ACT NOW!

> MANIFEST DAMM

Image 229 : Photo Damm Image 230 : Study model Image 231 : The damm as manifest

CONCLUSION It is clear that the pilgrimage project has been a research for the possibilities of designing from a less human-centered perspective. The question was how architecture can restore the disturbed relationship between man and landscape, in order to rehabilitate both landscape and man from the stress of Western society. Due to the greed for growth and possessions, people suffer from stress and burnout complaints. This stress is characterized in the landscape in the form of the current climate crisis. In the research into the role of architecture within this problem, the chosen case is to set out a 5-day route in the Swiss high mountains. This takes place at a location where the landscape is largely untouched. From both neurological and philosophical reasons, it has been concluded that a place in the great outdoors works best to break away from society and become aware of your footprint on the earth. Walking through the rugged mountain landscape leaves people insignificant and subservient, so that the dominant attitude towards the landscape can fade. The climate crisis has been visible in the landscape for a long time. The glaciers in the studied area will disappear in the next 10 years and by the end of this century the Alps will be ice-free, this will put pressure on the drinking water of the river Rhine and the mountain tops will fall apart due to the melting of the

permafrost. These signs of decline must be seen to provide insight into the need to act now. This goes far beyond what has been done by governments so far. It requires a fundamentally different attitude towards our earth. This attitude is tested in the architecture on the route. The result is 4 Shelters that are in balance with their immediate environment by using the materials found on the site. The designs are the connecting element between small people and the immense landscape. By experimenting intensively with these materials in making models, new design possibilities arise with materials that are currently not seen as building materials. The spaces are designed in such a way that they contribute to the experience of their specific place. They comprise a very large story with very small interventions that are almost invisible on the scale of the landscape. This design method has led to the insight that there is a symbiosis between man and landscape by making architecture physical. Both man and architecture temporarily embody the landscape without causing damage in this place. The 5th design is the final step of the route with the underlying question; how do you come back from this 5-day route. One thing is clear, as human beings we have to be critical of ourselves and ask the question what society is worth if there is no planet left

to live on. It requires adopting a critical attitude towards what is sustainable now and what is needed to live and what baggage is superfluous ballast. If a dam is only sustainable to provide energy, but in the process affects biodiversity thousands of kilometers away, then that is not a solution. We must understand that our lives are worth no more than anything else. We need to fundamentally rethink the way we treat our planet. The message is clear. It is time for action to stop this climate crisis. The project contributes to learning to design with the landscape in a different way. I therefore see these designs as the first step and hope to draw attention to the climate crisis. We as humanity must develop a fundamentally different attitude towards the future. It will be a challenge, a pilgrimage, but we have to take this next step.

Image 237 : Photo model Footprint

1 trail , 5 Days, 5 designs , 1 message

What is your footprint ?