House EKC, as this project is called, was designed by Ralph Germann architectes, an architectural firm based in Martigny, in the canton of Valais, in Switzerland. The project itself is located in Val Ferret, the name given to the two separate valleys, departing from the Col Ferret on the border between Italy and Switzerland, on the southern and eastern sides of the Mont Blanc Massif, in Switzerland. It was completed in 2016 and covers a total ground area of 200 square meters.
The home was built to house a family of five consisting of a couple and their three children who live in the village of Orsières. Previously an old barn originating from the 1920s, the upper part of it was used to store hay, while the lower end served as a stable for goats, sheep, and other animals. The size of the barn, however, was not enough to house such a large family (five members), so Ralph Germann architectes added a contemporary wooden annex to the barn, which is connected by a gangway on two levels.
The interior was completely refurbished and refurnished with a reinforced concrete structure of walls and slabs in order to meet the seismic requirements of the Swiss region.
