In the award-winning sun villa in Ticino designed by OOW, sustainability and design come together with the highest architectural standards. The house received the Green Good Design Award and was named by CNN as one of the ten most sustainable buildings in the world.
The 200-square-metre detached house sits on the edge of Solduno, a village with an old core in the immediate vicinity of Locarno. The clients - a family with three children - enjoy a wonderful panorama looking out over Ascona and Lake Maggiore. One particular feature: because the site is difficult to access, the walls and ceilings were prefabricated and flown in by helicopter.
The brief was simple and demanding: a truly sustainable house that feels nature on every side. At ground level, living spaces with an open kitchen connect directly to the garden; generous, frameless corner glazing dissolves boundaries so the rooms borrow light and view from the valley beyond. A sculptural sky frame crowns this level and tapers towards the landscape. Clad in wild vine, it shades the façade in summer and forms the first-storey balconies — a green sleeve that is both ornament and performance.
The roof follows the sky frame’s pitch, giving the upstairs rooms dual aspects and long, cinematic vistas. An external stair rises to the planted roof — a quiet belvedere where the panorama feels close enough to touch. Comfort is as carefully drawn as the silhouette. Underfloor heating is powered by solar-thermal collectors; only on the coldest, overcast winter days does the fireplace lend a hand. A heat exchanger above the fire then produces domestic hot water — an elegant, efficient loop that lets you keep warm with a clear conscience.
