Alpine distillery – raw and mineral design in altitude

This alpine distillery at 2000 m altitude – raw and mineral architecture – was designed by CSDK Architectes to integrate seamlessly into the mountain landscape. Anchored into the slope, it emerges like a silent geological fragment.

Crafted with honesty, the project relies on raw concrete, corten steel, and wood. Each material is used in its purest form, allowing time and weather to shape it. The imprint of wooden formwork fossilizes within the concrete; steel oxidizes slowly under alpine conditions, bearing traces of climate and age.

Built with simplicity, the architecture speaks through basic actions: excavating, pouring, joining. The result is a raw and mineral structure, deeply connected to the mountain’s geology and silence.

Water sourced from a nearby alpine spring flows through the building. It cools the air, defines spatial rhythm, and nourishes the distillation process. This natural circulation becomes both a functional and poetic gesture.

Light, rare at this altitude and in such a semi-subterranean space, enters in slivers. It highlights textures, reveals material roughness, and carves the concrete surfaces. Each shaft of light reinforces the calm, grounded identity of the project.

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