Ridge House

Ridge House is a tiny vacation home designed for two people to be situated on top of a sloped mountain plot overlooking the town of Poschiavo, Switzerland. Echoing the snow-capped ridges of the Swiss Alps, the home presents itself externally as a pearl-white sawtooth gable roof resting atop rough poured concrete walls. Inside, the living spaces unfold into a large, open-plan interior that is developed on three stepped platforms that gradually lead the eye toward a floor-to-ceiling window on the lowest level, framing a panoramic view of the valley below. Much like descending into a valley, each step down reveals an expanding negative volume, as the gabled roof simultaneously rises in height, amplifying the perception of space. Running parallel to this descent is a narrow, 0.8-meter (2’-8”) wide linear utility space accessible from each of the three platforms. This narrow space houses a laundry area, bathroom, and sauna—each enclosed by skylights that draw the gaze upward, evoking the spatial experience of traversing a slot canyon or a narrow mountain pass.
The project is located in the small town of Poschiavo, Switzerland. The town is located within the district of Bernina in the Grisons canton of the swiss alps. The town and region in general has a population of 3,441 people. At it’s base valley the town is situated at 1,014 m (3,327 ft) above sea level. The town has its own lake, called Lago di Poschiavo, which is located to the south of the village.
The project site itself is located to the northwest of the main town on a sloped hillside plot at an elevation of 1900m (6,234 feet) above sea level. The site boundary is 21.15m ( 69’-4” ) in length and 8m ( 26’-2” ) in width. The site is accessible by car via a small road on the northwest upper end of the site. Given its elevated position on the hillside at approximately 886m ( 2,906’ ) above the main town the property boasts breathtaking panoramic views that overlook the town, valley and lake below