Swisshouse XXXV
Part of a broader project of artistic and architectural interventions set in this part of Calanca valley, this new modest structure addresses the essence of the architect's commitment to create a bridge between the DNA of a place and its future. The intervention emphasises the meanings of the existing structures, interprets a condition of past cultures and links them to a natural and instinctive vision of the place.
The volume is in dialogue with the vernacular buildings present in the village’s nucleus, it takes on its forms and dimensions, but escapes immediate perception, offering up continuous surprises for its dynamism extracted from a cubic matrix. The primary shape of the cube soothes us and makes us feel the gravity keeping us firm to the earth, while its spiralling development breaks the symmetry and makes the space dynamic and light like the wings of a bird.
This lightness that can be read from the inside is in contrast to the external appearance and enriches the experience of a journey that positively influences the moods of the inhabitants, gives a sense of calm and freedom, underlined by unexpected views to the outside. The openings are oriented so that the surrounding landscape enters in a flow of nearness and distance, capturing the daily transformations of the environment given to us by natural light; a world of emotions in a minimal existential space.
The roof has a complex design at first sight, it is the result of an analysis of the surrounding context, of the different types of roofs and slopes present in the village. The inclined surfaces suddenly disappear from view and you do not have a clear perception until you enter the building and then, thanks to the double height you can grasp the spatiality of the small body as a whole.
