The office was responsible for the renovation and extension of a villa located in Silvaplana, in the heart of the Upper Engadine.
The house was part of the commercial urban development of the 1960s–70s, built on a steeply sloping site — nearly 100% gradient — offering remarkable views over Lake Silvaplana and Lake Champfèr, as well as the surrounding mountains. Despite its exceptional position, the architectural quality of the existing building was rather disappointing: the view of the surrounding landscape was obstructed by high sills and low lintels.
Our design approach sought to integrate the extension with the existing structure so that the two volumes would not be perceived as separate elements, but as a single architectural organism. Through horizontal timber cladding and a long balcony, the existing and new parts of the building were unified.
The element that allows the temporality of the project to be read is a third, single-pitched roof — an uncommon form in the region. This second roof not only harmonises the building’s proportions but also preserves the integrity of the existing roof.
The timber façade was conceived as a contemporary reinterpretation of the Strickbau technique, lending the building a distinctive character, particularly at the corners, where the cladding intersects like freehand-drawn lines. To maximise the sustainability of the intervention, larch trees removed from the plot were locally reused as cladding elements for the façade.
Large windows were introduced on the south-east façade to frame the mountain views from the living areas, while a rectangular window on the south façade precisely frames Mount Margna and the picturesque village below. The rooms are bathed in warm afternoon light, which amplifies the sense of connection with the surrounding landscape.
The living area is organised around an open fireplace, which acts simultaneously as a divider and a connecting element between the lounge and dining areas, creating visual continuity between the spaces.
This project harmonises architecture with its context, blending tradition and innovation with particular attention to sustainability and care for detail.
