Apartment House AVA — Contemporary Comforts Within an Alpine Village
Apartment House AVA sits in the dense heart of Andermatt, Switzerland, where OOS shapes an alpine apartment house tuned to contemporary life. The project gathers high-end timber apartments and shared wellness rooms within a compact volume that nods to its village neighbors. Inside, pale wood, patterned screens, and a ceramic hearth set a calm mood while anchoring residents firmly in the mountain setting.
Soft daylight washes across pale timber ceilings before catching the deep green tiles of a central hearth. Upholstered seating, low tables, and warm metal pendants collect around it in a quiet living room.
Apartment House AVA is an apartment house in Andermatt, Switzerland, planned by OOS for residents drawn to the village’s growing alpine district. The project uses high-quality timber construction and a carefully tuned interior palette to reconcile traditional mountain living with present-day comfort. Every room leans on material warmth and precise pattern rather than decorative excess.
Outside, the building folds into the tight street wall with a compact form and pitched roof that echo surrounding structures. Timber balcony slats, abstract sgraffito, and strong window frames give the façade rhythm while keeping the scale domestic.
Timber Sets The Tone
Inside the apartments, light wood lines ceilings, walls, and floors, building a continuous shell that anchors daily routines. Surfaces stay clean and calm, letting the grain carry subtle variation as it runs from living areas to dining corners and into circulation. Furnishings sit low and compact, with armchairs framed in timber and pale textiles that echo the envelope. This steady palette keeps views toward the mountains and streets as the main drama.
Fireplace As Anchor
In the main living rooms, a tiled fireplace forms a solid core between lounge and kitchen. Deep olive-green ceramic tiles wrap the volume, stacked in tight courses that catch shifting light through the day. The firebox opens toward seating, while the tiled mass continues toward the kitchen, tying cooking, dining, and resting into a single warm focus. Around it, circular tables, glass vases, and soft rugs round off the more rectilinear shell.
Patterns Shape Privacy
Throughout the interiors, perforated timber panels introduce a second, more graphic layer. Small triangular cutouts repeat across full-height screens, filtering views between rooms and letting light slip through in a fine, shifting pattern. Panels frame openings to the kitchen, back sofas, and circulation routes, so residents move through a gentle play of shadow and filtered glow. The motif ties back to the abstract sgraffito outside, connecting interior craft with local façade traditions.
Kitchen And Dining Warmth
Kitchens sit as compact blocks with muted cabinetry and softly reflective backsplashes. Under-cabinet lighting grazes the tile, giving evening gatherings a low, steady shimmer rather than a hard glare. Adjacent dining zones line up beneath a vaulted timber ceiling, where hanging glass pendants drop warm pools of light onto simple upholstered chairs and benches. The sequence from sofa to table feels direct and social, suited to shared meals after time outdoors.
Wellness Rooms Below
Below the apartments, wellness areas shift to darker stone floors and walls, paired with the same perforated timber for continuity. Loungers, low lighting, and textured stone benches support slower rhythms without losing the project’s material clarity. Bathrooms pair grey stone basins and floors with framed glass partitions, leading toward timber-lined saunas that echo the apartments’ warm envelope. Water, steam, and grain sit side by side in a restrained, tactile sequence.
Back outside, the compact building reads as a contemporary neighbor rather than a spectacle. As light cuts between tight streets and touches timber balconies and patterned render, Apartment House AVA holds its place as a quiet, material-rich corner of the alpine village. Residents step from dense stone lanes into rooms where wood, pattern, and tile keep the mountains close.
Photography courtesy of OOS
Visit OOS
