Landscaped windows in Veneto. Wooden Viewpoints enhance the territory

Within an unchanging landscape, the project set itself the objective of enhancing the Alleghe lakefront route. Specifically, a missing element has been introduced in the tourist offer: the explanation of the historical facts that led to the formation of the landscape that we have before our eyes today

By means of a unified posters, placed at key points along the route (for stopping, observation, reflection), we wanted to show the history of a unique landscape. This is because not only the communities and buildings have a story to tell, but also the woods, meadows and mountains on which they grew up

The lake of Alleghe was formed in January 1771 following the fall of a gigantic landslide that blocked the bed of the stream and forced the water to rise to the height of the village, submerging the existing villages at the bottom of the valley. Five landscape windows scattered along the route tell us about these events

They are tables that teach us that seeing is different from looking: the act of seeing is closely linked to that of understanding, of understanding what we have in front of us. In front of these wooden tables we isolate ourselves to look at a landscape chosen for us. The architectural idea starts from the "screen", that idea of seeing - I can't see, so that thanks to these screens the landscape is revealed to us with grace. The discovery must always take place in stages, for filters that allow us to savour the achievement of knowledge. This is why these tables are special positions in which the landscape reveals itself

We wanted to characterize a simple explanatory panel, coupling it with a "window", intended as a frame that frames the landscape. By means of QR code the artefacts are interfaced with a web platform in English language, which is waiting to be implemented in the future. It is the local building culture that is represented here by the project: timber, iron; all of which are important elements in the history of the valley. It has also been chosen to create a small overlook on the highest point of the route from the water level: a rocky spur, from which you can have a panoramic view of the lake, the village of Alleghe and Monte Civetta

The terrace has a trapezoidal plan and is cantilevered and supported by a slab foundation cast in line with the roadway. The dimensions are not oversized because we wanted to have a minimal impact on the landscape (it is necessary to remember that a panoramic point is also a point visible from a wide panorama). To protect users the parapet, a vertical metal posts to make it less visible from a distance. The covering of the handrail and the main uprights is made of natural larch wood

The soul of the beam is covered with a natural larch wood plank, so as to enhance the view from the lake. The trampling surface is made of 40 mm thick larch wood planks, laid directly on the secondary frame. The trapezium-shaped foundation guides people towards the viewpoint

The system has been designed to allow a quick and fast assembling with screws and bolts, in order to reduce the work to be carried out on site, in favour of the factory work, which is more precise, cleaner and safer. Natural and recyclable materials characterize the intervention, with a particular attention to environmental sustainability