Vals

Here one of the most diverse and layered chapters of Graubünden’s architecture unfolds. From deep valleys to mountain villages, this is a landscape where tradition and experimentation constantly take on new forms. Here, we encounter the quiet refinement of small chapels and village houses alongside the radical expressiveness of sculptural dwellings and bold contemporary transformations.

In towns such as Ilanz, Vrin, and Lumbrein, we discover how architecture is interwoven with community life and its rituals – deeply rooted in centuries-old traditions yet reinterpreted with contemporary sensibility. In Flims and Laax, we trace the legacy of Rudolf and Valerio Olgiati, father and son, each leaving their distinctive mark on the region, while in Valendas and Trun, artists and young studios breathe new meaning into historic buildings.

A true highlight is our visit to the Therme Vals, where Peter Zumthor has shaped one of the most sensuous spatial experiences of the 20th century through stone, light, and water – and where we will not only observe, but also enter and immerse ourselves, experiencing the architecture with both body and mind.

Surselva reveals itself as a mosaic of stories: from sacred stillness to radical experiments, from ruins to masterpieces, and from intimate homes to collective spaces. A region that encapsulates the richness of Graubünden in all its nuances.

With Chur as its historic capital and Haldenstein as its quieter counterpart, in Plessur an exceptional architectural landscape unfolds. Among the narrow streets and stately townhouses of Chur, we discover how historic urban structures continuously enter into dialogue with contemporary interventions. Here, tradition and innovation meet in buildings that are at once monumental and surprisingly intimate.

In Haldenstein, we gain a more personal insight into the architecture of Peter Zumthor: a village that has grown into a kind of living museum, where architecture is revealed not only in public buildings but also in studios, houses, and quiet experiments. It is a place where the enduring presence of Zumthor can be traced in the everyday life of the village.

Plessur can thus be read as an interplay of heritage and innovation, of urban monumentality and village intimacy. And alongside the icons that reside here, we also keep one unexpected pearl in store.

In Viamala, we encounter an architecture that inscribes itself into the landscape with utmost precision. Valerio Olgiati demonstrates how strict geometry and radical forms can create a new kind of monumentality, even in buildings that appear modest: a school in Paspels embodying the quiet of learning, or an atelier in Scharans where art and life are intimately intertwined.

Equally powerful is the chapel by Christian Kerez, almost hidden within the greenery, where light and emptiness merge into a spiritual experience that redefines the essence of building.

The urban environement of Landquart provides the backdrop for a captivating exploration of contemporary architecture. Bearth & Deplazes demonstrates how modern forms can engage in dialogue with the scale of the city and its inhabitants. While Peter Zumthor reveals how timeless materials and sensuous precision can create an intimate, universal domestic experience.

At the Plantahof, Valerio Olgiati and Nickisch Walder explore the interplay between collective functions and individual experience, where light, material, and space converge to form a layered encounter.