Conversion of a villa and an adjacent building

Central Switzerland, 2008

The ensemble created in 1965 consists of a holiday villa located in the middle of a steep hillside and an adjacent house located directly on the road. The two buildings are, invisibly from outside, connected by a lift and an underground passage.

The access sequence from the upper street level to the villa is architecturally re-staged: the street-side entrance and the connecting tunnel are sprayed with coloured high-gloss varnish. These reflective surfaces help to visually dissolve its spatial limitations. The intensive perception of the visually abstract access with its glossy surfaces has holiday guests forget everyday life.

In the villa, selective architectural interventions resolve the transition between inside and outside spaces. Thus, the installation of floor-to-ceiling sliding windows expands the living and dining rooms towards the enlarged terrace and opens them towards the spectacular mountain scenery.