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"The Atelier Ruinelli is based in Soglio, Bregaglia, in the canton of Grisons. Development as a consequence of winter sports was unknown to the valley and it survived the 20th century almost intact. To exploit the inherent potential in places such as this, it is fundamental to reflect on questions of identity so that diversity can emerge. By preserving small villages, architecture can help create identity. But conservation, at least as it has been understood thus far, is ineffectual. Villages must be in a state of constant evolution and renewal, shelving some of those dogmas which regulate their transformation. Rather than make changes to building regulations, it would be useful to move to a consultation process with teams of architects. Whenever work is being carried out in a small village, it is important that this way of thinking should be immediately apparent. In the Grisons there is a multiplicity of examples of this type of quality architecture. One cannot really talk about a “school” as such, but the presence of a studio like Atelier Zumthor has a diffuse and widespread influence. Miriam Cahn’s “Il Magazzino” (warehouse) and the transformation of stalls and a barn in Isola are two recent works, presented as examples of the Atelier Ruinelli approach. Both projects address the themes of creating structures that fit the context, building on what has already been built and experimenting with materials."

"The architects Quintus Miller and Armando Ruinelli operate mainly in Switzerland and in particular in the Grisons area where they have carried out several projects thus facing the different issues affecting the requalification of landscape and of existing architecture in the valley and mountain context. The dialogue between the two architects highlights their design approach in relation to the historical, cultural and environmental peculiarities of this heritage. What emerges strongly is the need for the contemporary project to reinterpret the existing in order to identify and restore in each project the «Stimmung» intended as an absolute synthesis of all those elements that characterize a given place or a given architecture in time and space. From the architectural redevelopment of small buildings to the insertion of new volumes within historical fabrics, from the restoration of monuments to the expansion of historic structures, the narrated projects show a well-read approach towards the intervention on heritage allowing a critical reinterpretation of history, of memory and of the long lasting Alpine settlement processes."

"Both urbanized Alpine territories and cities share the need for a continuous renewal of spaces, and the theme of the regeneration of mountain areas is all the more topical due to the change in the ways of inhabiting such places. In order to play an active role in these transformations, contemporary architecture should take into account the interpretation of both the landscape and the urban fabric. Among the architect’s analysis tools, comparison with the past plays a significant role, and especially in the Alpine valleys, where the circulation of ideas is sometimes slower or “overdue” compared to dynamic urban realities. The occasional presence of professionals coming from other locations, often from cities, can be considered an opportunity to renew the local architectural culture; these architectures materialize perspectives “from an outside eye” and fresh interpretations of places. In the Alpine valleys, tourism and the exploitation of water resources are two themes often related to the presence of “infiltrations”: although Val Bregaglia is fairly untouched by tourism development, it provides some examples of holiday homes and bears the signs of large infrastructural interventions related to the exploitation of water resources. During the twentieth century, there were no resident architects in Val Bregaglia. After the economic crisis of the years between the two world wars, design activities saw the intervention of architects such as Bruno Giacometti (Stampa, 1907-Zollikon, 2012), Peppo Brivio (Lugano 1923-2016), Tita Carloni (Rovio 1931-Mendrisio 2012) and Pierre Zoelly (Zurich 1923-2003). More recently, Miller & Maranta (Basel), H.J. Ruch (St. Moritz) and Lazzarini (Samedan) also carried out projects in this territory."

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The article discusses various "Residenzen" or palaces of royalty in medieval Moravian Brno, Czech Republic. In particular the residences of King Johann and Margrave Karl as they came into being during the first half of the 14th century are depicted and described textually and graphically in their urban context. Archaeological remains of churches, the mint, and city hall are also investigated. The founding and construction of the Dominican abbey and hospital of Ste. Anna during the period from 1312 to 1323 are also described.