In Switzerland, DF__DC Architects’ Minimal Pyramid House Stands Out From Its Mountainous Surroundings

The London and Lugano-based firm is known for its striking, angular residential projects around Europe that use the backdrop or context of each, to inform each project’s construction. With ‘Pyramid House’, the firm has redefined the simple geometric form of a pyramid—an architectural form that is often seen as having notions of antiquity—transforming it into something contemporary and modernist. Standing at the end of a dead-end road between detached houses and vineyards, the pitched concrete volume rises out of its site, “reading as a monumental, introverted form,” the firm says.

The internal layout of the home is characterized by an L-shaped space with the lounge, kitchen, and dining areas completely open to a garden facing southwest. “What appears to be a very closed typology from the street, proves to be surprisingly porous inside,” the firm continues. An ultra pared-back interior features white walls, floors, and ceilings, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows flooding in natural light. The home provides a contemporary space for its inhabitants that gives a certain level of visual security, while at the same time, provides a clean, open space from the inside.