Valerio Olgiati: The Yellow House

by Valerio Olgiati, Valerio Olgiati

In 1995, the father of Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati left a portion of his cultural assets to the community of Flims. This legacy was provided under the condition that a certain Yellow House--an empty shell of no historical significance--was to be preserved and refurbished according to his taste, and, above all, ''to be painted white from top to bottom.'' These conditions were carried out by his son in a most radical the younger Olgiati altogether redesigned the classicist-inspired Yellow House at Flims so that today it stands out at the very center of the community as an erratic white cube, debunking romanticized notions about quaint alpine villages. For Olgiati's remodeling of the house the layers of the old unworked stone walls were laid bare, and the rough stone was reworked with the hammer to give the walls a sculptural, archaic texture. The stripped, ruin-like house was then repainted with chalk whiting. With the sweeping changes he realized, Valerio Olgiati completely reversed the original appearance of the building--while at the same time creating numerous references to its original core.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000