Nestled between the mountains and overlooking Lake Maggiore, Villa Sangha presents itself as a livable sculpture: a stone monolith emerging from the alpine landscape of Switzerland.
“The project originates from observing the surrounding territory, characterized by large boulders and natural landslides,” explain the architects of Forni & Gueli Architetti. “The idea was to create a building that wouldn’t impose itself on nature, but rather feel like part of it—like a block of stone fractured over time.”
From a distance, the villa appears as a compact and mysterious volume. As you approach, however, the complexity of the design is revealed: deep cuts in the stone, carefully designed openings, and light that travels vertically through the entire structure.
Located in Ronco sopra Ascona, in the Canton of Ticino, the house unfolds across multiple levels, following the natural slope of the terrain. The entrance is positioned at the top, while the interior spaces cascade downward, guiding the eye toward the lake.
The interiors are conceived as extensions of the monolith itself: a bathroom carved into stone, integrated furniture elements, and fluid spaces that merge seamlessly with the architecture. Each window is designed as a “fracture” in the rock, offering ever-changing views of the surrounding landscape.
The wellness level is dominated by water, inspired by alpine streams and natural springs, creating an immersive and meditative experience. Natural light penetrates through the central vertical cut of the house, emphasizing both the height and the power of the design.
Outside, the garden follows the morphology of the land, with stone and concrete pathways that blend into the landscape without disrupting it, offering panoramic views over Lake Maggiore and the Brissago Islands.
Design, materials, and natural context come together to create a unique home—where architecture and nature become one.
Credits: Architecture: Forni & Gueli Architetti Location: Ronco sopra Ascona, Switzerland For more information about Architettura Urbana: Website – https://www.architetturaurbana.eu/ Instagram – / architettura_urbana Production – @ArchitetturaUrbana Filming & Editing – @UrbanaProduction Lead Architect – Forni & Gueli Architetti Architecture Studio – Forni & Gueli Architetti Project Name – Villa Sangha
AI Generated·May contain errors
Comments are disabled for this video.
We are in Ranco Sopra Ascona, a small village overlooking Lake Maggiore in the Swiss part
in the canton of Ticino. The house is in an area near the village and surrounded by woods and
greenery in a unique position because it is located on a slope and the residence is situated
on this incline. The idea originates from the characteristics of our local area. In essence,
along our mountains there are many landslide areas hidden by the forest with large boulders
and this inspired the idea of creating a stone monolith resting on this slope.
Basically, this stone monolith is cracked with fractures and over time
it took on its own design shape from which the project developed.
The entrance is located at the top of the house.
Upon entering the foyer you are immediately drawn to the strong viewpoint with a view of the lake.
Then you gradually descend to the floor where the artist's studio is located
with its own atrium space.
On the floor below there's a space with a music area and on the other side partially hidden is
the bedroom with amenities and the entire area, the whole space is interconnected.
The bathroom is essentially built with boulders, a block of stone in which the bathtub is carved
out. There is a bench and also a shower that fits into the facade with a view of the Brisego Islands
and this shower is also completely covered with the stone
that is found in the floors throughout the house.
Descending to the living area floor you find the living room and dining area with a wall
used as a closet toward the mountain and this closet is quite technical containing various
functions, the fireplace, then there's the tv area, a small toilet hidden behind the closet
and at the end the kitchen is embedded and this idea also
echoes the blocks that are part of the monolith integrated into the environment.
There are few elements let's say of functional furnishings that are separate from this
environment and in particular with the few items present such as service areas like the kitchen,
bathroom and the more private parts are themselves creations made like monoliths
as integral parts of this space.
The last floor remains located below the living level
where there is a space dedicated to body care and wellness.
The dominant element is water. This theme arose because in these mountains we find many streams,
brooks and various springs and the idea of creating a place where one can immerse the
body in water is like finding a well in a river, isn't it? This well which also becomes part of a
embedded in the house connects somewhat with the idea of a wash house and a bench.
The building conceived as a boulder, a split block with cuts
features windows in these fractured parts of the stone.
These windows in particular, they relate to each individual space.
This allows for an external view always different and depending on where you are,
you are drawn to the window not just passively receiving the outside image.
So you almost peek out in curiosity and I find this interesting because it gives you time to
meditate and observe details that you might miss in a complete image because you're absorbed
by so many stimuli. The strength of this cut in the middle, this split in the house
comes from bringing vertical light throughout the entire volume of the house.
The outside is a very small space.
On such steep terrain it was challenging to incorporate all the paths and the idea was
to make a main section like the trails we find along our mountains and create other walkable
areas trying to integrate the greenery. The forest with the paths also created like monoliths
as parts broken off from the house. The external paths were made with different materials,
concrete and part of the staircase with local stone. The aim was to use different materials
for the exterior arrangement like using gravel instead of a lawn and concrete paths
which are also integrated into the greenery as unobtrusively as possible.
Outside in the garden there is also some furnishing with the idea of not having elements
that would disrupt the view from the living room. So a sort of fireplace area was designed
to be embedded in the ground. I believe that an architect should design a house for the people
who live in it not as an object for the architect and there needs to be an understanding of the
needs as well as the person living in the object. It's clear that a house like this is very special
and the person who wanted it who desired it also put their emotions into it and by working
well together the result was creating something special for the person who benefits from it.
