Casa Descente
In the lead-up to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, Italian studio Wagner Associati WEA has created Casa Descente, a temporary exhibition and hospitality space for Japanese sportswear brand Descente inside a historic carpentry workshop in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The project occupies the long-standing Valle carpentry workshop, run by Enrico Valle, a local craftsman who has spent more than three decades working within the International Ski Federation as a race judge. Rather than introducing a standalone pavilion, the designers chose to reinterpret the existing production space, transforming it into a hybrid environment that merges exhibition, lounge and cultural hub.
Conceived as a temporary intervention, Casa Descente combines essential volumes, natural materials and technical surfaces, translating the brand’s focus on precision and performance into a spatial experience. The project balances the warmth of alpine interiors with the engineered language of technical sportswear, creating a sequence of exhibition areas, social spaces and product-focused installations.
Inside, an immersive layout presents Descente’s research in competitive sportswear. A central focus is placed on race suits and pre-competition garments developed by the DESCENTE Marketing Division, under the direction of design director Toshio Kondoh. The garments feature a proprietary system designed to keep the back warm while simultaneously eliminating condensation through integrated ventilation.
The exhibition also features Victoria Labyrinth (2025), an artwork by Daniel Arsham, positioned within the spatial sequence as a sculptural intervention that connects contemporary art with the alpine setting.
Founded in 1935, Descente has spent more than five decades designing and producing competition apparel for most Olympic disciplines. The Cortina installation reflects this heritage through a modular, low-impact system conceived for rapid assembly and post-event reuse.
The entire booth is designed to immerse visitors in an experience that evokes the beauty of mountain surroundings, while simultaneously conveying the innovation and distinctive style of Descente’s winter collection.
Project credits
Project: Casa Descente
Client: Descente
Architectural Design: Wagner Associati WEA (Enrico Toso, Barbara Berti, Diego Manaigo, Koki OTA, Anna Furuya, AB Cortina, Furio Fermon, Marko Tardito)
Location: Falegnameria Valle, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
Artwork on display: Victoria Labyrinth (2025), Daniel Arsham
Product Design: Toshio Kondoh
Contractor: Promo Allestimenti
Video/Audio Technology: Skill Evolution
Ambient Lighting: Dresswall
Period: Milan–Cortina Winter Olympic Games
Type: Temporary pavilion / exhibition and hospitality space
Photography: Tiziano Scaffai