Chalet Lauenen

The chalet is situated on a gently sloping hillside at the end of the Lauenental in the Bernese Oberland, offering unobstructed views of a moor landscape and the high alpine mountains beyond.
The design aims to engage with the local building typology, reinterpreting certain aspects such as spatial organization and materiality. Circulation forms the primary structural element of the building, winding like a spiral around a central hearth.

A series of tall and narrow spaces mediate between inside and outside, connecting the various floors and functions. Through this spatial arrangement – inspired by traditional access galleries – a sequence of spaces is created that gradually shifts toward greater privacy.

The solid ground floor is constructed with double-wythe Andeer granite, while the two upper floors are built and clad in traditional timber frame construction using local softwood. Various surface treatments – such as sandblasted fir wood and both split and sawn granite – lend the house a distinctive tactile quality.

Phasing

Planning and Realisation | 1999–2003

Client

Private

Architecture 

HILDEBRAND

Planning

Construction Supervision | BDE Architekten
Engineering | Conzett, Bronzini, Gartmann

Key Data

Procedure | Commission
Awards | Bernese Oberland Timber Construction Prize 2007
Surface | 450 m² GFA
Budget | 3 Mio. CHF