Description

Part of a broader project of artistic and architectural interventions set in this part of Calanca
valley, this new modest structure addresses the essence of the architect's commitment to create a
bridge between the DNA of a place and its future. The intervention emphasises the meanings of the
existing structures, interprets a condition of past cultures and links them to a natural and
instinctive vision of the place.

The volume is in dialogue with the vernacular buildings present in the village’s nucleus, it takes
on its forms and dimensions, but escapes immediate perception, offering up continuous surprises for
its dynamism extracted from a cubic matrix. The primary shape of the cube soothes us and makes us
feel the gravity keeping us firm to the earth, while its spiralling development breaks the symmetry
and makes the space dynamic and light like the wings of a bird.

This lightness that can be read from the inside is in contrast to the external appearance and
enriches the experience of a journey that positively influences the moods of the inhabitants, gives
a sense of calm and freedom, underlined by unexpected views to the outside. The openings are
oriented so that the surrounding landscape enters in a flow of nearness and distance, capturing the
daily transformations of the environment given to us by natural light; a world of emotions in a
minimal existential space.

The roof has a complex design at first sight, it is the result of an analysis of the surrounding
context, of the different types of roofs and slopes present in the village. The inclined surfaces
suddenly disappear from view and you do not have a clear perception until you enter the building
and then, thanks to the double height you can grasp the spatiality of the small
body as a whole.

Designed

2018

Completed

2019

Technical data

Project: Swisshouse XXXV
Location: Rossa, Calanca Valley, Grisons, Switzerland
Function: Private House
Project start date: December 2018
Construction start date: May 2019
Completion date: December 2019
Site area: 391 sqm
Building area: 57 sqm
Total floor area GFA: 70 sqm
Volume: 320 m3
Storeys: 2 levels above ground
Materials: Main structure aboveground: Timber
Finish, exterior: Facade: planed Larch timber slats
Windows: Frame in larch timber, triple glazing, provide by USFA
Cadenazzo
Roof: Corrugated titanium zinc plates
Finish, interior: Walls, ceiling, floors: triple layer sprice timber

Project team

Project by: Davide Macullo
Design collaborator: Lorenza Tallarini
Construction/Site Management: Athos e Pamela Gianatti
Architectural direction: Davide Macullo Architects
Structural engineer wood: Segheria-Carpenteria Tamò Sagl, Lostallo
Building engineer: Segheria-Carpenteria Tamò Sagl, Lostallo (Timber)
Studio Ruprecht Ingegneria, Lugano (Concrete)
Contractor timber works: Segheria-Carpenteria Tamò Sagl, Lostallo
Contractor concrete works: M-B Service di Mauro Balzer, Rossa
Roof cladding:
Flooring:
Bricalli lattoniere edile Sagl, Grono
Segheria-Carpenteria Tamò Sagl, Lostallo
Electrical works: Salvi Giuseppe impianti elettrici Sagl, Cama
Plumbing works: Negretti Impianti Sanitari e Riscaldamenti Sagl, Marco Grassi
Kitchen: Regusci Reco SA, Castione
Sanitary ware: Regusci Reco SA, Castione
Sanitas Trösch SA, Contone
Photographs: Fabrice Fouillet, Paris