DESIGN the found stone game
voici les papillons
good neighbor
three little pigs
granite garden
canvas [house*]
RESEARCH spaces in progress
valle d’aosta stone
bio
@magnoliamoskun
VALLE D’AOSTA STONE
Funded by the RISD Graduate Commons Grant
Independent Research | Valle d’Aosta, Italy | Summer 2025
Valle d’Aosta, like many rural and mountainous regions, is experiencing rapid depopulation. Located near the Italian Alps, the territory has a distinct building tradition. Clusters of stone structures rise out of the landscape, forming “fractions” that act like small villages. It is difficult to determine when the land ends and the buildings begin. As the population declines, increasingly fewer people have the expertise to maintain and continue the stone building tradition. Additionally, strict historic preservation laws in the region make renovating these structures complicated and expensive. As a result, dozens of these buildings fall into disrepair and face abandonment.
I was awarded the RISD Graduate Commons Grant to travel to Valle d’Aosta to document the region’s unique tradition of stone construction, including “mushroom” foundation posts and slate roofs. Beyond these ubiquitous elements, I discovered unexpected expressions of stone construction during my trip. The Binò Alpelté, a former summer home for cows, is constructed with stone infill under a boulder. The bridge in Fontainemore is anchored by a massive, untouched rock. These irregular stone structures became the starting point for my thesis.