Sigirino ‘Depot’: a planned subtle camouflage, and landscape as a by-product of the AlpTransit Gotthard axis, Ceneri Base Tunnel

The Sigirino Depot is a large artificial mound, constructed with a significant amount of spoil derived from the excavation of the Monte Ceneri Base Tunnel, part of the Gotthard axis AlpTransit project. It is located in the small village of Sigirino, Municipality of Monteceneri, Switzerland and was designed by the landscape architecture firm Atelier Girot. The mound is an example of a designed landscape of discarded fill, where the involvement of designers has contributed added value. A design approach that renders the constructed nature of designed landscapes of discarded fill legible can contribute to communicating their essence. Sigirino Depot is rather an example of planned designed camouflage, that tends to hide its highly constructed nature. The chapter provides information on the uses of the materials excavated from the AlpTransit Gotthard axis (Monte Ceneri and Gotthard Base Tunnels), including several landscape design projects constructed with the retrieved tunnel spoil (e.g. the Buzza di Biasca and Cavienca Depots, several artificial islands in Lake Lucerne, and deposits at Sedrum). The Sigirino Depot project is addressed in particular detail, including the camouflage of its constructed nature, the role played by designers, and the added value this provided. At the time of writing the mound is almost complete. Photographs of the growing landform at different points in time demonstrate the relationship between time and legibility/camouflage.