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VILLA VALS - The Underground House
In the Swiss village of Vals you can now enjoy a combination of architecture, design and Swiss quality. Villa Vals is a detached residential house right next to the famous Therme Vals. The luxurious villa is extremely quiet and offers breathtaking views of the unspoiled nature.Villa Vals was designed by Bjarne Mastenbroek and Christian Müller of the architectural firms SeARCH and CMA, respectively. Their design plan was to fully integrate the villa into the landscape so as not to disturb the pristine nature. Therefore, access to the villa is only possible through an underground tunnel from the nearby Graubünder Barn. The curved facade of the house enhances the view of the mountain landscape on the opposite side of the valley.
Completed in 2009, the house was built with local contractors and furnished with a variety of international designer pieces. They fit well with Villa Vals' spacious, industrial architecture. The interior is an eclectic but balanced mix of contemporary design. A unique combination of architecture, interior and design.
The house - about 200m2 - is completely dug into the mountainside. It can accommodate ten people and is surrounded by a large garden that offers plenty of privacy. A large glass facade opens onto the terrace, offering spectacular views of green meadows and, in winter, snow-covered slopes and mountain peaks. Villa Vals was featured in the Netflix series "The World's Most Extraordinary Homes" and gained international fame.
The world-famous Therme Vals by architect Peter Zumthor is just a stone's throw away. The authentic village of Vals is nearby. Time has by no means stood still in this quaint village, which offers a glimpse of the future of sustainability on a small scale. It has industry, the sources of the Valser Wasser (www.valser.ch), spas and hotels. It also has the possibility of producing sustainable energy with the Zervreila hydroelectric plant. There is even a "milk pipeline" that delivers milk from the 2000 meter high mountain pastures directly to the village in the summer. You can ski, hike or bike in the surrounding area up to an altitude of 3,000 meters in a surreal tranquility.
Photography Iwan Stöcklin
House
The house is completely dug into the mountainside and can only be reached through a tunnel from the nearby stable. The house consists of six rooms and is located on a private plot of 1,300 m². The living room, open kitchen and one bedroom with private bathroom are all on the terrace level. On the upper floors there are three spacious bedrooms. All bedrooms have a king size bed (180 x 210 cm) and a private bathroom with bathtub and/or shower. One of the rooms is furnished as a TV room and also has a bunk bed with two beds (130 x 210 cm). This is an ideal family or children's room.
Terrace
The wind-protected terrace is one of the many highlights of Villa Vals and offers space for a large table, a hottub that can be fired with wood and deck chairs. Besides the impressive view of the opposite side of the valley, the terrace also has a fountain that is fed all year round from the house's own spring and has excellent drinking water quality.
Stable
The villa can be reached via an old Grisons stable, which has space on the upper floor for bicycles, a ping-pong table, skis, garden tools and patio furniture. On the lower floor there is a heated reception room with wardrobes and a 8ft pool table. An underground tunnel with skylights connects the stable with the Villa Vals.
Garden
A sunny, spacious garden with steep and flat sections surrounds the house and the stable.
Summer
In summer you will find many activities in and around Vals. The cable car remains in operation during the summer and offers many magnificent views of the surrounding area. There are various possibilities for hiking in the mountains and valleys, for example in the Vals valley itself. The "Valser Berg-Wanderbus" takes passengers to the many starting points of hiking tours, among others to the neighboring valleys: Val Lumnezia, Safiental, Val di Blenio and the Rheinwald. One of the most popular routes is the panoramic route to Zervreila. It is not unusual to go in search of crystals; the valley is famous for its rare semi-precious stones and minerals.
All information about tourist activities and sightseeing can be found at the tourist office of Vals, opposite the post office: Visit Vals, Information and Tourist Office, Poststrasse 45, 7132 Vals. Tel: +41 (0)81 920 7070 or visit www.vals.ch.
Winter
Skiers and snowboarders appreciate Vals for its quiet, cozy and personal atmosphere and the great ski area. The snow-sure ski area of Vals has five lifts on the Dachberg, with runs from 3000 meters to the valley station at 1250 meters. Since Vals is quite remote, there are no long waits at the lifts or on the slopes. Among other things, you can go cross-country skiing, sledding and long hikes through the fabulous and spectacular snow-covered mountain landscape.
