La Casa de la Muntanya, an innovative space for experimentation opens the doors

La Casa de la Muntanya, is a project worked together with the Comú d’Ordino, Actua Innovació, OBSA and CENMA. The space, located in Carrer Major, 20, in Ordino, allows visitors to discover this Living Lab and to experience the mountain in an interactive and innovative way. Also, different actors of the Mountain industry will be able to develop and create many projects.

The Presidency, Economy and Business Minister, and President of Actua, Jordi Gallardo, stressed “the aim is to create a cross-disciplinary environment to jointly develop new projects, products and services, to face the current and future challenges of the mountain ecosystem”. In this regard, he emphasized that “external collaborations are already being formalised with various companies and entities to initiate working groups leading to the creation of new projects”.

Josep Angel Mortés, Mayor of Ordino, highlighted that “the sum of talent and new technologies facilitates the knowledge of the territory that we want to transmit and disseminate from this facility, in collaboration with all the actors of the mountain industry. We are thinking of sports athletes, the agricultural and livestock sector, but also of all those who want to enjoy their experience in the mountains, including tourists, of course”. He also recalled that “we are committed to innovation. La Casa de la Muntanya is also designed to share knowledge and encourage dialogue between companies, entities and associations in the same working space”.

The Actua Innovació and CENMA-IEA’s director, Marc Pons, made a few demonstrations and pointed out “the ongoing areas of work and those that will be developed over the coming months. In this sense, the main areas and working groups will focus on dissemination and environmental education, the identification of needs in the field of training, the promotion of mountain activities, artistic and cultural creations, sports competitions and mountain innovation and entrepreneurship”.

What is Casa de la Muntanya like?

La Casa de la Muntanya occupies two spaces: the interactive and exhibition space on the ground floor, and the collaborative work space “El Cim” on the first floor, which are both part of Casa Ferino premises in the centre of Ordino.

It has an interactive space with thematic areas designed to explore, understand, and share mountain information. The space has several audio-visual and technological tools enabling visitors to interact with the different contents.

The five thematic areas:

Touch screens

Four touch screens with various contents, to obtain information on the natural environment of Andorra, a guide to safety and good practices in mountain activities, the dissemination of snow and avalanche situations, a viewer of the roads and trails network in Andorra, games and environmental education activities, and many other contents.

Interactive wall

An area designed to provide a setting with projections of large-format natural scenes that offer an immersive experience to the visitor. The installation is planned to allow interaction between the visitor and the contents. A short film with panoramic views of the Andorran mountains is currently being projected on the wall.

Multimedia space

Projection section conceived to visualize documentaries related to mountains.

3D model

Projections with different layers of information on a 3D model of Andorra that facilitates the interpretation of the orography and the use of the different areas of the country, as well as the integration of simulations and visualisations of spatial analysis. The different ecosystems of Andorra can be currently viewed in a 6-minute projection.

VR Space

Virtual reality glasses that allow you to explore the territory in an immersive way, to contemplate the summits of the highest peaks of Andorra, the numerous lakes, some of them unknown, or the mountain huts.

The space can host travelling exhibitions and artistic montages related to mountains and all its dimensions. The contents of the different areas can be adapted.

SON HÀBITATS, a sound and sensorial composition of the main mountain ecosystems (alpine, forest, rural and aquatic), is currently on display.

A space for the promotion and dissemination of mountain activities

La Casa de la Muntanya is a space for promoting and disseminating mountain activities, using an innovative approach based on new technologies. A space that will also help to promote Andorra’s candidacy to become the first country in the world to be recognised by the UNESCO as a 100% Biosphere Reserve territory. It should also be a meeting point for users and groups related to the mountains and their sporting practices, with La Casa de la Muntanya being the reception and information centre for participants and their companions during major events. For example, the ANDORRA MULTISPORT FESTIVAL, will bring hundreds of sportsmen and women to the country to take part in its different events and competitions.

The Casa de la Muntanya is a space for co-creation that will facilitate the generation of synergies and collaborative projects between companies dedicated to the field of mountain sports, the public administration, and its end users. The facilities will also benefit from projects to be worked on between GSIC-MICROSOFT and other national and International companies.

In addition, it will promote the transfer of knowledge from mountains on multiple levels, from specialised technology to environmental awareness among children, all in a unique environment.