apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

wow, that's cool

amazing house.

Oh, this is the house I long to live in!! I love love love this house. And it's bound to be very economical and (the design at least) ecological in that it will keep its temperature very steady from all the earth around it.

I love all the wood, and the rock wall in the basement has nice texture. I especially love how they have the bowl-shaped walls in front, to give them some privacy while they grill or pump water, and to allow them somewhere to stack all that firewood (which in turn warms up the view from inside).

I would want to stain, paint, or dye all that bleak concrete inside though. There's a ton of light flooding in the house, but I'd still worry about claustrophobia and I think some color (even white, although I think I'd love to play with uplifting earth and plant tones) would help with that.

I just love this house.

That's a LOT of concrete. I like the idea, but it could be warmed up a bit with wood or textiles.

wow, thats way cool -reminds me of hobbits!

Vals is also home to Peter Zumthor-designed Hotel Therme. That part of Switzerland (Graubünden) is absolutely stunning. http://www.therme-vals.ch/en/hotel/

I like it, but I have to say calling it 'less invasive to the surrounding landscape' is actually a little off. Literally speaking, it's about invasive as you can get!

I'll it's super energy-efficient because the ground itself is insulation against the cold. It's also probably very quiet -- I've seen a Hamptons potato barn (which were typically sod on one side) where the noise from the road couldn't be heard inside, whereas in a typical house it would have been loud there.

Oooh, I love all the concrete. Gorgeous!

The cellar looks like a serial killer's basement, though.

Is this the Bilbo Baggins residence?

What a cool home but I bet it gets REALLY cold in the winter.

Love the view and the dining table.

I love that I'm not the only one who thought of Bilbo when I saw this design.

Gorgeous.

I love that the firewood almost becomes decor! and that dining room table is incredible. Very very cool place

ok now i'm REALLY jealous...

I have always had this home in my imagination! It is perfect in reality! What an AMAZING space! A concrete paradise! No shiny surfaces, it's a dream come true for me...

Holy wow!

Is that blue thing in the second photo an outdoor bathtub of sorts? What a wonderful view!

This house is GORGEOUS. I can't imagine it was / is less invasive though...I'm sure it took TONS of energy to move the earth that had to be moved for this, and it seems like at least the equivalent sq. footage that would have been removed for the foundation of a normal house is taken up by the facade. And lots of wood waiting ot be burned. Perhaps better said would be lower profile. I'd love to know how energy efficient it is...does the earth keep it insulated? Is there any solar power? What are other heating options besides wood? Really is stunning.

@MKG: It was probably an WWII old bunker that was repurposed for this use. Switzerland is littered with them, and architects are now starting to repurpose abandoned bunkers

Yesssss... stunning architecture in an amazing landscape. Imagine sitting in the nice blue Dutchtub with a cold beer in your hand - enjoying that scenery... wow! Great job, Dutchies!

Very cool house slash wartime-bunker. I would like the cozy privacy.

proud of being half swiss today.

This house is absolutely stunning... You can't get much closer to nature than that! I gotta agree thought he cellar is freaking scary... what a cool view though.

The way the shape of the outside walls frame the view is brilliant. You would have to pry me out of that bathtub--it looks like heaven!

i absolutely love this house. does anyone have a guess on the source of those blankets? i NEED to have one!

What a cool house! I am loving Swiss architecture & design more & more...

For the temperature post - Underground temps generally maintain a constant 50-55 degrees. Pretty smart design if you ask me! Not to mention, you don't need a wine fridge/cellar! :-)