The project fits into a small plot in a highly inclined terrain overlooking the Geneva Lake.

The plot is in the city center of Montreux. It is very small and with a huge slope but with a great view on the lake and the mountains on the higher part. This plot was bought with an approved project where it was allowed the construction of a 4 levels building above a base that contains the garage.

The shape of the building comes out from the need to rework an existing project according to the Swiss town planning regulations: the result was an irregular and faceted prism.The challenge was to make a new project using the shape of the old one.

The approved project was very conventional, with simply 2 flats one over the other.It was clear that one apartment had a very nice view, that the other had not. In this way one apartment had more commercial value. Our intention was to rebalance this gap. We wanted to built two houses of equal value. To achieve this we used the leonardesque stairs: here 2 different ramps cross and serve the same floor.

Due to the planning regulations, it was not possible to present a new project. We couldonly transform the shape of the approved project by cutting off some parts, applying the concept of “reduction”: reduce the shape, reduce the numbers of the openings, reduce elements, etc.

In the interior we could make all the changes we wanted, whereas outside we could work on the shape of the building The result is a prism: on the West side the building has a monolithic appearance and seems to emerge from the ground, whereas on the East side it seems to be divided into 2 volumes.

The living spacesare organized around the central staircase, the "heart" of the building,taking off service spaces such as corridors or lobbies: one big space facing South and one smaller on the North side.This space is always connected with an external space (balcony or terrace) and it offers diagonal views on the surrounding environment. In the first two levels there have been placed the rooms, whereas in the upper floors have been placed the living areas, kitchen and living room to enjoy the best views. An internal elevator, starting from the garage level, serves the two apartments with direct access to the house on alternated levels.

This layout allowed us to create a small "architectural promenade": each floor changes light, space, shape of the rooms and relationship with the outside. Each space can change function: a living room could be a bedroom and vice versa.

The building is a solid volume pierced by window: this monolithicity is also transmitted by the predominant material, the concrete. Almost like a rock settled on the slope, the concrete coating resembles the shades of the base stones.

The green cover of the roof ensures a visual integration of the project within the lot, as the whole complex is clearly visible from above walking by a pedestrian path.