Casa Sur Ual
Susanna von Känel

Casa Sur Ual

Christian Müller Architects as Architects

The trick with the double use Villages in the Alpine Region are threatened with being turned into ghost towns. This is being caused by a number of factors. The present building stock has a large portion of second homes which is hardly being used. The amenities offered do not live up to modern standards and there is preciously little room to build new houses. A project by Christian Müller in the Swiss village of Vella is a showcase of how this development can be countered with innovative concepts.


The house called “Casa Sur Ual” is located centrally in the main area of the Val Lumnezia. It is constructed with solid timber logs notched at the corners. Surrounded by houses built of stone and elegant timber the 350 year old building is very much in harmony with its surrounding. The two new owners have approached Christian Müller with the challenges of dealing with historical structures. Good solutions of these problems so commonly encountered are notoriously hard to find. The approach should result in a balance of square meters, habitable spaces, room clearance with historical substance and finances as well as an ecologically convincing solution.


Contemporary agility The result resembles something of a three-dimensional puzzle. Both owners own a third of the building and share another third. It is like a scheme of “pay half, use two-thirds”. The children’s rooms, a sauna, spacious storage and attic rooms have been planned in the flexible third. The two apartments can also be opened up to each other and as such offer accommodations to a single group of up to fifteen people. The house can host grandparents, families and guests in different constellations and also be rented out as a vacation house.


The courage to apply innovative solutions Cabinet beds are interlaced with storage spaces in a playful fashion. A passageway may be two feet wide, another may well be 5 and a half foot high. Throughout there is comfort, consciousness of quality and respect for the traditional. The room for manoeuvring within the historical walls offers ample space of ideas for future uses. The Alpine regions are an important part of the Swiss landscape and the Swiss artful way of life. The flexible use of existing buildings not only reinforces the local economy can be, as this conversion proves, ecologically meaningful as well.


Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art: Architecture finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024
29 Mar 2024 News
PLATO Gallery of Contemporary Art: Architecture finalist in Mies van der Rohe Awards 2024

In this Archello series, we look at each of the seven nominated projects (five architecture finalist... More

Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun
29 Mar 2024 Detail
Detail: sliding panels of natural pine protect a residential complex from the Mallorcan sun

Spanish architecture firm OHLAB has recently completed Paseo de Mallorca 15, a residential complex o... More

Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo
28 Mar 2024 News
Snøhetta designs new extension for the world’s oldest ski museum in Oslo

Global transdisciplinary architecture and design practice Snøhetta has designed a new entranc... More

10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete
27 Mar 2024 Specification
10 public buildings that demonstrate architectural applications of precast concrete

Precast concrete is made by casting concrete in a reusable mold. These molds are made of various mat... More

Sameep Padora and Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India
26 Mar 2024 News
Sameep Padora & Associates creates a flowing, organic art center in southern India

Mumbai-based Sameep Padora & Associates (sP+a) has completed Hampi Art Labs in Toranagallu, a vi... More

Introducing Partner Thermory AS
26 Mar 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Thermory AS

Thermory AS offers a diverse product range that includes durable exterior cladding, decking, interio... More

Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality
25 Mar 2024 News
Brooklyn Tower by ShOP Architects showcases a unique materiality

Brooklyn Tower, standing an impressive ninety-three stories tall with a unique neo-deco crown, is al... More

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury
25 Mar 2024 Archello Awards
Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright join Archello Awards 2024 jury

Doriana Fuksas, Martin Lesjak, Li Xiang and Steven Wright have been announced as Archello Awards 202... More