Alpine Educational Center “Les Cabris”
Located above the village of Leysin, in the Vaud Alps, the new Alpine Educational Center Les Cabris winds along the edge of a conifer forest. It hosts students on ski camps and education professionals attending short training sessions in a distinctive mountain setting.
Echoing the historical children’s care facilities of the area, the project unfolds as a long glazed corridor stretching across the width of the site. This typological device takes full advantage of the sunlight and panoramic views offered by the balcony-like location. Subtle shifts in the volume create openings toward the vast landscape dominated by the Dents-du-Midi peaks. The generous south-facing circulation space overlooking the alpine ridges offers multiple opportunities for social interaction and group appropriation.
On the northern side, smaller-scale rooms benefit from the proximity and calm of the dense forest. In the carefully designed furniture, young users find convenient solutions: space to charge a phone, keep a suitcase open, and sleep in a bunk recalling the memory of traditional chalets.
The almost entirely timber construction is designed with rationality and an atmosphere reminiscent of a mountain refuge, yet with touches of contemporary comfort. The exposed structural frame, composed of prefabricated fir posts and beams lightly whitewashed, rhythmically defines the interior spaces. The hybrid use of concrete for the base—required by avalanche-load constraints—and local wood aligns with a sustainable and energy-conscious approach.
The envelope plays with subtle shifts between levels and with the assembly of overlapping wooden boards that create an interplay of shadows and light within the forested context. The dark tone of the façade evokes the paintings of Pierre Soulages and recalls the aged timber of the old chalet that once stood on the site, darkened by the alpine sun.
Inside, the material palette combines light wood, Rhône pebbles embedded in terrazzo flooring, and exposed aggregate concrete walls on the ground floor. The simple color scheme supports the architectural intent: to enhance the context and provide, in every season, moments of calm and openness.
