Maloja - 2008
Shortly before the Engadine plateau merges into Bergell in Maloja, a new multi-storey house catches the eye, a little off the cantonal road. The multi-family house is characterised by a clear, reduced language of form: the structure leans geometrically (irregular hexagon) as well as in colour on the opposite rock of reddish-brown gneiss. The shape, reminiscent of fishing boats on the nearby lake, ensures better and longer sunlight. What is special, however, is the type of building envelope, which is made of coloured exposed concrete; a typology one would expect to see on an urban rather than a mountain house.
This characteristic play of colour is not gimmicky or banally painterly, but corresponds to the desire of creating a visible reference to nature. In this way, the construction appears alive and, through this metamorphosis, absorbs the flow of time and the changing influences of weather and light.
Inside, the staircase is dark. The flooring is black granite and the bannisters are made of black-reddish iron plates. The walls are painted anthracite. In the flats - one per floor - the living room is the centrepiece with its south-west-facing windows offering an incredible view of the breath-taking panorama of the Bergell mountains. A corridor, which takes up the shape of the hexagonal floor plan, provides access to the bedrooms. This arrangement is highly rational and provides a purist minimalist stage.
Residential
2008
Built
Bergell, Switzerland
Apartment building