This text-collage brings together reflections from various authors on the Haus Kuoni, designed by Conradin Clavuot in San Nazzaro, Ticino. The project emerges as a response to the dynamic relationship between architecture and nature, particularly the fluctuating water levels of Lago Maggiore and the challenges posed by recurring floods. The house, elevated on slender concrete supports, recalls both the imagery of a floating vessel and the pragmatic logic of Alpine vernacular architecture.
The collected texts explore different facets of the project: from the engineering solutions provided by Placido Pérez, which ensure the house’s structural stability on an unstable shoreline, to Martin Tschanz’s critical analysis, which contrasts Clavuot’s design with Mies van der Rohe’s modernist ideals. Mercedes Daguerre places the house within the cultural tradition of Ticino as a place of retreat for those seeking the warmth and vibrancy of the southern landscape.
