DAWN AT THE LAKESIDE
Zurich | Switzerland
Photo. Yuichi Kodai
A house that engages with the surrounding landscape​
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Nestled on the Gold Coast of Lake Zurich in Staefa, the site boasts a tranquil setting. Perched upon a gentle slope, the house offers sweeping views of the Zurich mountain range and the shimmering lake below.
This first impression aimed to establish a "mindset" upon arrival at the living space, intertwining the imaginary landscape painting with the actual surrounding landscape - Shakkei Technique. The living room and kitchen serve as the platform of daily life, while other rooms become destinations. The design emphasises transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces, enhancing the connection with the surrounding natural environment.
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Photo. David Willen Studio
Architecture with a Clear Concept
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Eckert & Eckert Architects (E2A) completed in 2016, and this house showcases their visionary design. The house has an exposed concrete structure that is strategically oriented to capture three key viewpoints - the lake and mountains on the first floor, the Swiss Alps and Town of Staefa on the second floor, and the property's groundscape on the ground floor.
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The essence of this project was to formulate an understanding of the architect's spatial planning and design concept while ensuring a comfortable living environment. It was necessary to comprehend the spatial intentions and design clarity. The goal is to respect these readings and accommodate practical considerations for client preferences.​​​​​​
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Photo. David Willen Studio
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Anchor Floor and Destination Rooms
The first floor, with its large terrace, anchors the house, featuring a concrete wall as an art wall paired with a garden hedge that frames the terrace as an outdoor room. All other rooms serve as destinations, reflecting the residents’ lifestyle. Interventions on this floor immerse residents in the open scenery, with strategically positioned curated furniture, artworks, Bonsai plants, and water features interacting with the kitchen, living, and dining areas. This arrangement enhances the connection between functional zones, maintaining openness and fostering a continuous flow that harmonises the living experience with the surrounding landscape.
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Photo. Yuichi Kodai
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Acoustic and Daylight Comfort with Clay Wall
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Transforming the echo-prone concrete house into a comfortable home focused on wrapping the central core with clay. This tactile solution introduced versatile surface treatments to enhance both acoustic and daylight comfort. In the dining room, a wave pattern created a dynamic play of shadows with ever-changing daylight, while a scratched clay technique added texture and improved sound absorption around the staircase. This approach harmonised the house's solid structure with refined acoustic and visual elements.
Photo. David Willen Studio
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The Last Destination: Master Bedroom with Ensuite
The final destination of the house, the master bedroom with its ensuite, is the most private and intimate space. The tactile Naguri flooring defines the room, offering a distinct sensation that sets it apart from the rest of the house and enhances its significance for the residents.
The ensuite bathroom reveals a layered depth through the use of two different kinds of wood and sliding doors. This culminates in a skylight that directs light—daylight or artificial—onto the Hinoki Japanese cypress bathtub. This creates a focal point, transforming the bath into a central feature of the space. As the jewel of the house, the bath captures the essence of the home’s design philosophy, creating a sense of retreat and the conclusion of the journey.
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A Tactile Master Bedroom
The master bedroom combines sensory engagement with thoughtful design. A large window frames sweeping views of the local town, mountain range, and green fields, connecting the room to its surroundings. The Naguri flooring provides a tactile experience underfoot, grounding the space in natural materiality. At its centre, a bespoke lattice-grid bed frame accommodates a futon, merging Japanese sleeping traditions with the Western bed frame concept.
Four curated artworks, paired with a specially chosen wood specimen for the wall, reflect the room’s theme and the homeowner’s artistic vision. Every element is carefully considered, from the floor to the walls, ensuring a space that unites texture, culture, and the surrounding landscape into a harmonious and reflective retreat.
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Photo. David Willen Studio
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The Master Bathroom with a Skylight
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The ensuite bathroom is wrapped entirely in vertical blonde wood, creating a connection to the skylight above the wet room. A Japanese Hinoki cypress bathtub fills the space with its natural fragrance. Sitting in the bath, the vertical wood lines draw the eye upward to the skylight, forming a direct link to the sky. The dry room continues this material harmony, with the same wood used for the sink and surrounding surfaces, uniting the space through texture and atmosphere.
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Photo. David Willen Studio
Contact with Architecture
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Everyday contact with architecture begins with hands and feet. These moments of touch - where fingers trace door handles, hands rest on handrails, or feet meet the Naguri floor—are thoughtfully designed. Textures and finishes are shaped to encourage daily appreciation. By refining these points of connection, the design transforms routine interactions into moments of engagement, fostering a tactile dialogue between the user and the space.
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Photo. David Willen Studio
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Detached from Architecture
The toilet cubicle is envisioned as a space for individual experience, separating itself from the open architecture to provide solitude and introspection. Within this retreat, two distinct themes shape the toilet cubicle design, each offering a unique sensory journey.
Cubicle with Clay
One private cubicle is fully wrapped in clay, creating a cave-like environment bathed in soft light filtered through Japanese paper. The textured clay walls encourage a tactile connection, engaging the senses and transforming the space into a deeply personal and immersive sanctuary.
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Photo. Yuichi Kodai
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Cubicle with Wood
One guest cubicle features wood panelling in contrasting red and white tones, creating a visually dynamic environment. The geometry of the cubicle, combined with the size and placement of the mirror, enhances the perception of depth. A bespoke sink becomes the focal point, illuminated by a spotlight and paired with an artwork that juxtaposes functionality with aesthetics, transforming the cubicle into a thoughtfully balanced space.
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Photo. Yuichi Kodai
Photo. Yuichi Kodai
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Transformation of the garden through Connection.
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​​The redesigned garden creates a link between nature, space, and the home. The Southeast Asian village god statue, visible from all angles, serves as a cultural and memorial anchor in the garden, while its asymmetrical placement enhances openness and encourages one to stroll.
Four Acer trees introduce depth and framed views and expand the garden’s sense of space, creating a dynamic interplay with the open lawn. The Acer canopy bridges the home with its surroundings. While the house provides a visual connection, the trees bring the sensations of wind, rain, light, and sound into the space, enriching the interior experience. Their movement and shadows foster a dialogue between architecture and nature, forming a living connection that transforms the garden into an engaging and immersive environment.
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​A Layer of Time in the Garden
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With the house newly built, the garden needed a sense of time to ground its contemporary design. The search for the perfect stones led to Engadin, where slabs cut in 1936 using traditional quarrying methods were discovered. Their weathered edges and marks told a story of craftsmanship, connecting the garden to history and the rugged beauty of the Alps.
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The process became personal when the client joined the visit to the quarry, selecting the stones together. Once placed in the garden, these slabs introduced a timeless layer, reflecting the Wabi aesthetic through their imperfections and natural texture. Contemporary chairs placed on the stones balanced the aged material with modern design, creating harmony between nature, history, and human-made elements.
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The result is a garden where time, nature, and design converge, transforming the space into a narrative of memory, place, and connection.​​
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MONOCLE MAGAZINE,
February 2024
6 pages coverage
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New Dawn
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Yuichi Kodai brought glimmers of Japan to this Swiss lakeside home. What will your architect do?
writer: Nic Monisse
photography: David Willen​​​​​​
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Type:
Renovation - Residence​
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Location:
Staefa, Zurich, Switzerland
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Status:
2022- 2023
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Data:
Site Area: 400㎡
Floor Area: 120㎡
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Design Team:
Yuichi Kodai, Claudia Maggi, Laura Bruder
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Carpenter: Stahl und Traumfabrik, www.stahlundtraumfabrik.ch
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Electricity: Elektroman, www.elektroman.ch
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