Pure Light

P. 112

A volume in concrete, wood and glass, inserted in a Swiss forest without disturbing nature

The home of René Hauser, publisher and interior designer based in Baden (diedenkfabrik-ag.ch), is hidden amidst the larches on a mountainside, just outside the village of Alveu, in Grisons, between Davos and Tiefencastel. A rugged but refined volume in concrete, with three glass sides, on a site where uncontaminated nature rules. Christoph Cavigelli, a young architect from Chur, was raised in the engineering firm of his father. After taking a degree in Zurich and an early career in Spain, he returned to Switzerland to open studios in Zurich and Bern, working on projects in the Alpine territory. His love of the mountains made him agree with Hauser’s impression that the site was an ideal one for a peaceful refuge.

«The first step was to analyze the topography and orientation of the lot, to find the best position», he explains. «Our strategy was to go up the slope as far as possible, letting the steep terrain distance the house from its neighbors, preserving the excellent view». The second factor was simplicity. The owner wanted something contemporary but discreet. «Instead of competing with the trees, it had to blend into them.

Almost a way of making the architecture vanish», Hauser says. The two honed Cavigelli’s original project reducing its vertical presence, with two levels instead of three. The entrance is from a concrete staircase hidden inside the garage, and a flat roof with plantings facilitates the camouflage. The first floor contains a more private zone, with a bedroom and a sauna. Above it, the panoramic space of the living area features an indispensable central fireplace, with the kitchen to one side and a guestroom on the other. For the furnishings: Scandinavian classics and contemporary Swiss creations (from Lehni, Dietiker and Mobimex), chosen by the owner, along with custom pieces in burnished metal by Cavigelli.