"I wanted to design a case study house by the time I was 50," says Häberli. "Not for me personally, but one that sets an example. One that makes a contribution through its aesthetics and its inherent way of thinking. That was my dream." Häberli got a chance to fulfill his dream in designing a model home for Baufritz, revealing new dimensions of ecological and healthy wooden architecture while showcasing expert timber construction.
Alfredo Häberli is an internationally renowned Swiss Argentinian designer, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Häberli manages to unite tradition and innovation along with joy and energy.
In the main building, the Flagship, the first floor is a generous space, flooded with light, containing a kitchen, dining area and front balcony, like the upper deck of a ship. There are no pillars and hardly any solid walls, a kind of open loft with continuous windows. The smallest part of this floor contains a room within a room, an impressive, rotating so called Media-Koje. This terraced seating area acts like a theatre and also serves as a couch and storage space. A bookshelf runs along the external walls at windowsill height, and this also provides seating.
For Iittala Alfredo Häberli has designed Essence series, which is a totally modern interpretation of the wine glasses. In Origo series, Häberli wanted to create easy, everyday tableware with a variety of applications.
The small neighbouring building, the Stöckli – traditionally a house in Switzerland that farmers move into when they retire – has been designed to serve as a workshop, guest rooms or living accommodation for a grandparent. Smaller in size, it stands on a large column-plinth that houses the entrance, stairs and a lift. The Stöckli deliberately adopts the barrier-free home concept and is an attempt to use this important idea as the starting point for an exceptional design. On an abstract level, this building resembles a small tugboat. It is as if a small harbour has grown up around the lake, a kind of village by the water.
