think architecture

Description

Casa Grusaida is a house from the 1960s in Klosters, a small village in the Swiss Alps. The house contained three small apartments for the last 60 years and was now to be converted into a private home for a family of six and their guests. Our refurbishment was limited to a few targeted interventions in the structure of the house, which nevertheless gave the property a new, contemporary expression. The garage annex and the wooden terrace were removed and the two functions were combined by a sculptural concrete figure, which now also forms the address on the uphill side. The façade was additionally insulated and covered with ventilated dark wood cladding, analogous to the traditional barns of the village. The new roof replaces the existing roof structure, which was in need of renovation, and now extends far beyond the south façade in a generous gesture. Inside, two vertical openings create a spatial continuum that connects the two main floors in an exciting way and also provides zenithal light to the lower rooms. The appealing interior finishes feature natural, high-quality materials. Oak-panelled spaces alternate with rooms with lime plaster walls and terrazzo floors. Great attention was paid to zoning the spaces and to room transitions. In certain places staged as a clear break, elsewhere interlocking, one world of materials segues into the other.