peter zumthor's vacation homes in leis, vals

annalisa and peter zumthor’s vacation homes in leis, vals image © ralph feinerall images courtesy zumthor ferienhäuser

in the hamlet of leis, among the age-blackened dwellings of the swiss mountains, peter zumthor’s two vacation homes open to the idyllic,often snowy landscape. zumthor ferienhäuser, the agency in charge of renting the sunny-hued holiday homes to willing guests, has shared exclusive winter-time images of oberhus and unterhus, the light and bright volumes embedded in the sloped mountainside. informed by annalisa zumthor’s long-time, sensory-rich vision of a timber home, the architect designed growing family of homes as a composition of exquisite wood volumes, complete with recessed and generous apertures that immediately mark the landscape. the wide-grained cladding follows a language of precise, seemingly hand-crafted finger joints. crisp vertices are articulated by the movement of light over the timber surface as well as the material palette of the changing seasons.

the homes take on a different life in the winter months, where the possibility of an exhilarating ski run is at one’s doorstep from gadastatt down through the valley. from summer to fall, the dwellings are the starting points for myriad hikes through the emerald mountainscape. interiors are impeccable planes with furniture and lighting by the likes of baltensweiler, rodolfo dordini, antonio citterio, warren planter, eero saarinen and peter zumthor himself. all rooms have ideal views of the 1300’s era town of 20 inhabitants as well as the the richly textured mountains. untehus sleeps 4-5 with a total area of 150 square meters. the central gesture is the top floor living room, complete with floor to ceiling glazing. turmlihus will open to guests starting in autumn 2013 and sports a 3 level, tower-like mass lightened by planes that extend past corner vertices. the cross-shaped plan allows panoramic bay windows and a 4 person, middle floor sauna. bathrooms are clad in teak and the immediate site is stone-flagged. the built form is a clear labor of love that quietly resonates in the undisturbed and life-filled space. of the architecture, zumthor said:

The solid timber has a tangible presence – soft and close to the body, it gleams gently and silkily in the light.