Montebar Villa
Medeglia, Switzerland
A stone in the landscape
The Montebar Villa is a prefabricated wood house lying on a panoramic spot facing the Swiss alps, in a privileged position with sun light during the four seasons. A magical place where the silence is alternated with the gentle chimes of cows at pasture in the distance, where the calm breezes coax tree branches and grasses to release and carry a sweet and fragrant air.
The project was created around the local building code, which imposes each house to have a dark gray pitched roof for a better integration with the environment. The idea developed into an homogeneous solution using the same material for both the roof and façades.
Crafted with precision on every corner
A great part of the design phase was spent investigating several options for the exterior cladding, in order to achieve flush surfaces and obtain a pure and simple form. The same porcelain stoneware material has been applied to the custom designed folding shutters, to match and align with the façade pattern when they are closed.
The only exception is the South elevation, facing the valley, which grants a spectacular 180 degree view through a curtain-wall that encloses the living area and folds inside creating a loggia to be used in the warmer months.
The final cladding material uniforming the shell is a ventilated façade with porcelain stoneware tiles and an invisible fastening system. The glass façade of the living area has a curtain wall with thermally broken aluminum horizontal profiles and vertical glass fins, and with insulated selective and low-e glass. The rest of the windows have a thermally broken aluminum profile with triple insulated glazing.
The house is constructed with prefabricated and thermally insulated wood elements, ideal for this type of climate, and the entire structure has been assembled in a few days. The same stratigraphy has been designed for both the roof and the perimeter walls, in order to achieve high standards of energy performances.
Besides the high-performance shell, the floor radiant heating is powered by and electric pump and all lighting fixtures have led lamps. The cooling during the summer months is provided by natural ventilation, with the colder air rising from the creek on the western side and crossing the entire house.
