casa vernate: A hillside house over Lake Lugano
Casa Vernate, a renovated home by Enrico Sassi Architetto, sits on a wooded slope above the Agno–Porto Ceresio branch of Lake Lugano in Vernate, Switzerland. Designed in 1972 by Unterlöhner + Waibel of Ulm, the single-family house occupies a narrow terrace with long views toward the water and surrounding hills.
The original structure combines exposed brick walls with a load-bearing timber system insulated and clad in wood. An asymmetrical gable roof shapes the interior of the sleeping wing, where sloped ceilings follow the roofline. Toward the forest, the facade is fully covered with prefabricated roofing tiles, while the living room faces the landscape through wide glazed openings.
images © Marcelo Villada Ortiz
enrico sassi architetto’s split-level plan
Architect Enrico Sassi organizes the renovated Casa Vernate across two offset levels within a single story volume. Entrance, kitchen, and living room occupy the lower level, while bedrooms and bathrooms sit upstream on a raised plane. The living area projects outward and rests partly on pillars, leaving the ground visible beneath the volume.
Interior finishes from the original construction remain legible throughout the plan. Floors were laid in red Klinker tiles, and walls were built in exposed brick with recessed joints. Coconut fibre carpet covered the living room and bedrooms, while wooden doors and partitions were coated in glossy lacquer in dark blue, yellow, and ivory white.
Casa Vernate stands on a wooded slope above Lake Lugano
upgraded performance and services
The renovation by Enrico Sassi Architetto addresses the house as an existing assembly of materials and systems. The oil-fired heating system has been replaced with an air–water heat pump, paired with new pipework and radiators distributed across the plan.
Single-glazed windows have been upgraded to insulated double glazing while preserving the original wooden frames. Bathroom windows have been replaced in full. Additional insulation has been introduced beneath the living room floor slab, adding thermal performance without altering the visible structure above.
the house was designed in 1972 by Unterlöhner and Waibel in Ulm
a modernist color palette
Floor finishes in the living spaces have been updated with Ruckstuhl Flow Sisal carpet. Lacquered wood surfaces have been repainted in their original chromatic range, with tones adjusted according to Le Corbusier’s Les couleurs palette. Bleu outremer 59, le jaune vif, and blanc ivoire appear across doors and partitions.
The kitchen has been entirely replaced with a new stainless steel installation. Its reflective surfaces sit alongside the brick walls and timber ceiling, maintaining the material contrast present in the original house.
the living room projects outward and rests partly on pillars above the terrain
lake views framed through a brickwork structure
Large windows in the living room continue to frame views across Lake Lugano, with palm trees and wooded slopes visible from the interior. The suspended living volume retains its relationship to the terrain, with light passing beneath the floor edge and along the brick piers.
Across Casa Vernate, the renovation by Enrico Sassi maintains the spatial sequence established in 1972. Brickwork, timber structure, and updated systems coexist within the existing envelope, preserving the house’s relationship to its site and construction history.
exposed brick walls and a load bearing timber structure define the original construction
an asymmetrical gable roof shapes the sleeping spaces with sloped ceilings
lacquered wood surfaces are painted according to Le Corbusier’s Les couleurs palette
the plan is organized across two offset levels within a single volume
project info:
name: Casa Vernate
architect: Enrico Sassi Architetto | @enricosassiarchitetto
location: Ticino, Switzerland
completion: 2025
photography: © Marcelo Villada Ortiz | @marcelovilladaortiz
construction: Bosisio A. Sagl
HVAC: Equans Switzeralnd AG
carpenter: Cavaleri Carlo SA
electrician: Jermini Elettricità SA
plumber: Jörg Soldati
kitchen: Tiba AG
plasterer: Willy Robbiani Costruzioni SA
painter: SP Color SA
metalworker: Bernasconi Renato SA
upholsterer: Knupfer arredamenti
exterior works: Inalbero
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