This Uetikon residence sets itself apart from traditional Swiss housing. Designed by Mexican studio Pablo Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados (PPAA), it was conceived to contemplate nature from every angle, its windows framing the extensive views. At the same time, the thoroughly contemporary home is a nod to minimalist architecture, its simple, cubic volumes inviting light into the building through large windows that look out towards the surrounding Lake Zurich vistas.
Explore Uetikon residence by PPAA
The residence is set amid trees and neighbouring homes in sparsely built plots, and blends into its green context with two volumes that link together while taking in the panoramic views of the surrounding nature.
PPAA was founded in 2018 by Pablo Pérez Palacios. The architecture studio, based in Mexico City, made sure that this project gets 'lost' in its surroundings, remaining discreet, with clean lines and a pared-down interior design.
The façade blends two key materials, crisp concrete and warm, light-coloured wood. Its contemporary shapes feature various openings that enhance natural light inside and make the most of the site's slope and location.
The communal spaces (the living room, dining room and kitchen) are open plan, drawing the residents' eye outwards, towards the natural scenery. The lake was the main inspiration for the home, and the water element is referenced in a mirror pool feature in the garden.
Inside, light bounces off white walls, creating optical illusions and blurring the lines between the indoors and the surrounding landscape. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are strategically positioned to lap up the lakeside views, and to connect with nature.
The house ‘takes advantage of its topography and offers breathtaking sightlines of the surroundings and most specifically of the lake. Its design maximises the views and creates a seamless connection with nature,' writes Pérez Palacios (who worked on the project with local architects Orus as the main contractors).
Focusing on the surrounding context is a trademark for PPAA, and an approach they previously demonstrated with Echegaray, a minimalist Mexican home that drew on its rocky terrain. The Uetikon house is PPAA’s first residential project in Europe, and no doubt, the first of many to come.
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Discover midcentury treasures in Marylebone with Álvaro by AppointmentLondon is full of sequestered design havens, and Wallpaper* knows them all. Allow us to point you in the direction of Álvaro González’s shop window on Nottingham Place, home to a bonanza of beautiful 20th-century antiques
-
Beach chic: the all-new Citroën Ami gets an acid-tinged, open-air Buggy variantCitroën have brought a dose of polychromatic playfulness to their new generation Ami microcar, the cult all-ages electric quadricycle that channels the spirit of the 2CV for the modern age
-
Meet Lisbeth Sachs, the lesser known Swiss modernist architectPioneering Lisbeth Sachs is the Swiss architect behind the inspiration for creative collective Annexe’s reimagining of the Swiss pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
-
A contemporary Swiss chalet combines tradition and modernity, all with a breathtaking viewA modern take on the classic chalet in Switzerland, designed by Montalba Architects, mixes local craft with classic midcentury pieces in a refined design inside and out
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich is a ‘miniature city’Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich aims to offer a case study in forward-thinking, contemporary architecture for healthcare
-
Step inside La Tulipe, a flower-shaped brutalist beauty by Jack Vicajee Bertoli in GenevaSprouting from the ground, nicknamed La Tulipe, the Fondation Pour Recherches Médicales building by Jack Vicajee Bertoli is undergoing a two-phase renovation, under the guidance of Geneva architects Meier + Associé
-
Christian de Portzamparc’s Dior Geneva flagship store dazzles and flowsDior’s Geneva flagship by French architect Christian de Portzamparc has a brand new, wavy façade that references the fashion designer's original processes using curves, cuts and light
-
CERN Science Gateway: behind the scenes at Renzo Piano’s campus in GenevaCERN Science Gateway by Renzo Piano Building Workshop announces opening date in Switzerland, heralding a new era for groundbreaking innovation
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s SIP Main Campus weaves together nature and sculptural concreteSIP Main Campus, a new workspace by Herzog & de Meuron, completes on the Swiss-French border
-
Studio Tropicana, Switzerland and Italy: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023Based in Switzerland and Italy, Studio Tropicana is part of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
