Casa Fontana, Switzerland | Stanton Williams


Casa Fontana is a family residence on a mountainous site above lake Lugano, Switzerland, designed by Stanton Williams Architects in 2000.



The 2004 RIBA Worldwide Award-winner design is based on clean lines, white volumes that follow the slope and blend into the landscape, a limited palette of traditional materials and an enhanced connection of interior and exterior spaces.

Photography © Patrick Engquist and Simon Phipps


Description from Stanton Williams Architects:

The brief was to create a contemporary home on the steep mountain slopes above Lake Lugano with views over the lake, mountains and city of Lugano.

The house is essentially set into the mountain, with terraces extending inside the house to overlap internal and external space. Views were controlled with wider ‘framed’ openings in communal areas and smaller openings in more intimate rooms.

A sliding half panel between the kitchen and double-height living room allows for sociable dining or to screen food preparation. Traditional materials- travertino stone, white oak and teak weather and acquire a patina over time, allowing the house to blend into the landscape.










First level Plan © Courtesy of Stanton Williams Architects
Second level Plan © Courtesy of Stanton Williams Architects
Third level Plan © Courtesy of Stanton Williams Architects
Section © Courtesy of Stanton Williams Architects

Source: Contemporist | Stanton Williams Architects