Submitting to Zumthor's neighbouring Bath House in Vals, Switzerland, Christian-Müller Architects and SeARCH build a stunning and pragmatic Villa, buried in the hillside of course.

Understandably doing the rounds in the blogosphere, the project was pipped by a similarly rocky project for an international award over at ArchDaily, but deserves the attention, and a closer inspection.

A collaboration between the Dutch-based SeARCH and the Swiss CMA -both of whom share an interesting penchant for research and competition work, the team confess their surprise that the whole thing went ahead, given the proximity to the world-famous Zumthor baths, and the subsequent planning stringencies.  But swiss pragmatism has prevailed, with the building being a precise cylindrical cut in the vertical, revealing an elliptical window in the mountainside, and the authorities dig it too.

Furthermore, the project is entered from a neighbouring Graubünder villa (of the vernacular) by tunnel, "absurd" planning authorities thought, but convincing and permitted.  Strategically burying the entire project under the existing topography seems analogous to the subversion of their architectural agenda in this architecturally sensitive environment.

For more images, including the occasional sketch model and some construction snapshots, check out both CMA and SeARCH.  And great news, you can go stay there!  Details here, where thankfully you can also inspect some floorplans (fairly conventional) and sections (averagely presented) and a curiously unfolded elevation which really gets things cracking.


Unfolded Elevation from the cylindrical cut (see velow).

Diagram of the building volumes underground.

The serenity.

A glimpse at some interior space, all images from http://www.villavals.ch/.