This stunning vacation home is located at the border of a small historical village of Scaiano, Switzerland. There is a beautiful view over the lake and towards the mountains. It is only possible to reach the dwelling by foot, making the project more difficult for construction. The 753 square foot (70 square meters) house, designed by Wespi de Meuron Architekten, defines the border of the historical village, so the architects created a boundary wall where one can live inside.

From the architects: “It was important to get the permission for a flat roof (what usually is impossible in a historical area) to create a simple cube like a wall. Even as important as the form was to use the same material (natural stones) the walls in this area are made with. Without the old roof we obtained a new abstract form, which is modern and at the same time very old. The walls haven’t been changed in any way, it was like this long time before, but it was invisible.

The house is very small and there wasn’t enough space to integrate also the bathroom in the existing volume. So it’s hidden underneath the ground to be able to leave the appearance of the house like it was before. In the inside there were a lot of different levels which gave the character of the house. They have been maintained and connected by a lot of small stairs.

The windows have been placed at the inside or the outside of the walls, so depending on the point of view some are visible and some are not, they seem not to be at all. Some inside walls were slanting and they haven’t been corrected, they even have been increased to obtain an aspect more massive.” Via

Visit the website of architecture firm Wespi de Meuron Architekten here.

Photos: Hannes Henz