Stanton Williams Architects designed Casa Fontana in Lugano, Switzerland. The brief was to create a contemporary home on the steep mountain slopes above Lake Lugano with views over the lake, mountains and city of Lugano. The house is essentially set into the mountain, with terraces extending inside the house to overlap internal and external space. Views were controlled with wider ‘framed’ openings in communal areas and smaller openings in more intimate rooms. Traditional materials- travertino stone, white oak and teak weather and acquire a patina over time, allowing the house to blend into the landscape.