The MonViso Institute (MVI) is an evolving alpine hub for research, education and entrepreneurship in sustainability transformations and social-ecological design, creating educational benefits and economic opportunities for the Piedmont region.
The MVI is a lighthouse for sustainability transformations in mountain regions, building capacity within and beyond the region, showcasing and building upon the rich traditional knowledge and culture in the Piedmont, while promoting dynamic development inspired by internationalism. The transformation of the abandoned Serre de Lamboi borgata in Ostana, Valle di Po, to the MonViso Institute (MVI), an educational research and demonstration center for sustainability, is a contribution to foster the sustainability transition in the Piedmont region.
The MVI engages in sustainable development specific to mountain regions to inform and educate the public, and to demonstrate sustainable innovation solutions.
The MVI serves as a field experiment for whole systems design of buildings and their integration into their natural and socio-cultural surroundings, as a non-profit center for research, education and entrepreneurship in sustainability innovations, as a data collection hub being part of an international mountain observatory network, and as a meeting hub for living a new "Alpine Urbanism".
The MVI serves as a new model for reviving mountain communities and for developing a more resilient, circular service economy based on sustainability innovations from renewable energy to smart grids to responsible tourism. The abandoned Serre de Lamboi compound in Ostana will be re-designed for flexible use for people who are more productive and creative when they have access to outdoor adventures and wild nature with long open views in the surrounding, to clear your head, activate 'kinetic thinking', or get creative inspiration while engaging in various types of mental work. At the core of the MVI campus are the two group buildings “Tribal Hub” and “Basecamp” that allow for hosting educational group stays. An “Infoseum”, a “Fabrication Lab”, an “Observatory” are buildings demonstrating different design, materials and energy solutions, while serving to do research, design work and educate the public.
The MVI is advancing and promoting sustainability through research, education, design and entrepreneurship, by collaborating in international research projects, by offering courses and trainings on-site for local practitioners and to international university student groups, by providing design solutions, and through entrepreneurial initiatives.
