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Former WWII Arsenal Transforms into a Cosy Mountain Retreat

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A Swiss arsenal from WWII is transformed by Ralph Germann architectes into a warm and comfortable mountain chalet.

Keeping the historic nature of the building with the use of simple materials, like larch, slate, glass, and metal, a cosy mountain cabin retreat is created.

The key to the design is an entirely glazed interior box – with full height sliding doors – within the original army building.

The glass box makes it possible to entirely open the barn doors outside, while a glass box keeps the interior cosy, while preserving the historic building shell.

The generous exterior barn doors – and the glass interior door – can be open when the mountain sun is available.

But in cold weather, the interior sliding glass door in front of the barn door opening is closed.

Within the glass box, a lowered ceiling supports the lighting of the new house.

A skylight cut into this ceiling offers a memento viewing up into the old wooden rafters of the WWII structure.

Viewed through the glass box, the old markings of the former arsenal are preserved.

Thick slabs of wooden cabinetry in the tiny bathroom artfully updates the mountain cabin aesthetic.

What is astonishing is how spacious the compact cabin seems, within the encircling glass corridor.

Who would imagine this tiny studio plan would be so liveable – and even spacious?

Excellent organization of space makes each “room” in the tiny studio cabin seem room-sized.

Once in each “room” there is no clue as to what the other “rooms” comprise.

Seen from here, the kitchen is as nondescript as a dressing room.

Only from this vantage point can all the “rooms” in the tiny cabin be seen.