Ernen is a small, idyllic Alpine village in the Swiss canton Wallis. The townscape is characterised to a great extent by traditional buildings; a considerable number of them date back 200 to 500 years. This three-storey residence is such a structure: it was erected in 1752 and is situated at the entrance to the village, right next to the cemetery. Its northwest exterior wall doubles as part of the cemetery wall.
The task of the architects was to consolidate and overhaul two holiday flats on the structure’s top storey that had been renovated several times over the years. The aim was to achieve a stronger connection to the structure of the existing building. For this reason the partition walls and cladding that had been introduced in the different adaptation phases were removed. And the attic was dismantled to gain more head room.
The new holiday flat has a generously scaled living room that extends the entire depth of the building; it is divided into two parts by a built-in block of furniture positioned at its centre. On the southwest side, which has a view of the Rhonetal, is the living-and-dining space, and on the northeast side is the kitchen – which is also equipped with a dining table. The room divider, which is made of light grey fibre cement boards, incorporates not only the old fireplace, but also the kitchen cabinets and a set of shelves.
The task of the architects was to consolidate and overhaul two holiday flats on the structure’s top storey that had been renovated several times over the years. The aim was to achieve a stronger connection to the structure of the existing building. For this reason the partition walls and cladding that had been introduced in the different adaptation phases were removed. And the attic was dismantled to gain more head room.
The new holiday flat has a generously scaled living room that extends the entire depth of the building; it is divided into two parts by a built-in block of furniture positioned at its centre. On the southwest side, which has a view of the Rhonetal, is the living-and-dining space, and on the northeast side is the kitchen – which is also equipped with a dining table. The room divider, which is made of light grey fibre cement boards, incorporates not only the old fireplace, but also the kitchen cabinets and a set of shelves.