The floating house

The property appears to hover on a hill overlooking the picturesque landscape of Appenzell, forming the conclusion of the settlement facing the agricultural landscape and forest behind it. Despite its exposed location, the goal was to seamlessly integrate the buildings into the surrounding landscape and garden. The silvery wooden roofs reference the traditional typology of Appenzell architecture, establishing a fluid connection with the natural surroundings.

When the vision for the private estate emerged, the planning team was already well-coordinated, comprising the interior designer, architects, and landscape architect. This allowed for a project with a holistic approach, from the initial vision to completion in 2022.

Residence Fernblick consists of four buildings (guesthouse, gardener's house, main house, and pool house) carefully positioned along the curve of the hill. The main building, located in the middle, faces the renowned Säntis region and offers spectacular views through its frameless Skyframe windows. Flanked by the guesthouse on the right and the pool house on the left, they appear as a unified ensemble. The generous outdoor spaces between and around the buildings provide a park-like experience that can be explored during walks along the property's pathways. The basement, connecting all three houses, houses the spa area with an indoor pool and fitness room, as well as the home theater and wine tasting area.

The architecture and typology of the four buildings evoke a Japanese Engawa, with their large wooden roofs and cantilevers—a covered veranda encircling the building, providing protection from weather and sun and enabling a continuous walk around the structures. The architecturally minimal metal edge of the roof, with its concealed drainage detail, defines a sharp edge against the panorama of the mountain range in the background. The traditionally crafted wooden roof shingles have taken on a silvery hue a few weeks after installation, blending beautifully with the surrounding landscape.

This private residence comprises a main house, guesthouse, pool house, garden house, as well as a spa/fitness area in the basement and a garage

Sito – Enea Collaboration

2019 - 2022

Teufen, Appenzell, Switzerland

Total volume:       13'760 m3

Phases:     

Schematic design, design development, construction documents, tender documents, artistic direction

Team Studio Sito:

Simone Schnyder (PL), Thomasine Wolfensberger

Lukas Mersch (PL), Carlo Wezel, Vasiliki Nikoloutsou, Konstantinos Sakellariou, Flavio Gisler

Partner:

Garden: Enea Landscape Design GmbH

Interior: Ina Rinderknecht Interior Architecture AG

Construciton drawings: Maerz AG

Construction supervision and building managementt: Tecti AG

Images: Dreisicht GmbH

Photos: Martin Rütschi and Agi Simoes / Reto Guntli