Delivering a modern look, concrete serves as a long-lasting, hardwearing material.

Onstage, Design Prize Switzerland representatives Michel Charlot, Beat Karrer (of FluidSolids), and Rolf Senti (of Bagno Sasso Mobili/Swiss Eco Tap) will explain their surprising concepts and how good design can benefit our environment. Pictured, a FluidSolids stool.

Jaime: Tree Museum in Switzerland Open since 2010 on the grounds of the Enea Garden Design headquarters in Switzerland, the Tree Museum is a unique and rather poetic concept: a collection of 50 specimen trees, many older than 100 years old, in an open-air museum-like setting designed by architect Chad Oppenheim. Blocks of sandstone set off the sculptural tress, and give the whole place a Zen-like atmosphere. Would love to see it in person some day!

The library is a collection of art, architecture, design, and photography materials. The essays analyze the system and methods to make the library a publicly accessible resource for interdisciplinary discussion. The art library collection started when it was donated as gift from book collector Daniel Rohner.

Remarkable Swiss Waterfront Villa: Just five minutes outside of Lugano, architect and interior designer Mischa Groh meticulously constructed Villa Cigno. With spectacular views of the lake and Mount San Salvitore, this newly built home is a contemporary masterpiece. Presented by Fontana Sotheby's International Realty.

The stairwell leads to the main dining room and kitchen, where gray plaster and oiled larch wood joinery create a softer environment. The custom dining table, built by GRG Carpenteria, is surrounded by a set of Philippe Stark Toy armchairs.

The renovation of this old stone structure by Wespi de Meuron Romeo architects was, at times, as much archeology as architecture. The small square in front of the building, the only in the village of Scaiano, dates the building, a former brandy distillery fortified with both spiritis and stone walls. After reinforcing the roof and replacing the wood beam floors with concrete, the team started to dig in.

This alternative view of the kitchen and dining area, outfitted with KWC ONO and Sanitär Tröesch, exemplifies how reinforncing the walls and cutting through some of the stone brought significant light into the interior.

Like the stübli, the top-floor bedroom is meant to be moody. Tuckey designed the bed, the brass wall light is by John Glew Architects, and the chair is another piece inherited from the previous owners, a couple who lived there for decades.

The former cellar, now an entrance with a built-in raw steel fireplace, welcomes guests. Plaster outlines the new staircase, where an old stonewall was cut out to provide a passageway to the upper level.

The end goal, a vacation home with a view of the nearby lake, led Jérôme de Meuron to cut through a wall and ceiling to open up the space. "We tried to preserves as much as possible," he says. The addition of the large upper story window adds daylight without altering the street-level character of the stone home.

Despite the raw materials and rocky walls, the upstairs terrace feels positively weightless, offering spectacular views of Lago Maggiore.

Parts of the interior still maintain an earthy, subterranean atmosphere. Catacombs are hidden below the finished rooms above. The stairs lead to an outdoor area designed for communal interaction.

Dramatic floor lighting on this glass wall, custom fit within the curve of a carved-out stone wall, provides simple beauty in material contrast. "In such small spaces, it's often better to integrate the furniture and fixtures into the room," says de Meuron.

A new coat of glazing (and a bit of a modern paint job on the exterior) brings a clawfoot bathtub back to life.

Custom case work and a polished wall give the bathroom a warm yet minimal look.

Tina Roth Eisenberg runs a successful graphic design company, but is perhaps better known as the author behind the design-centric blog, SwissMiss. The self described Swiss designer gone NYC covers everything from typography to eyebrow dances, curating a specific cross-section of humor, design and inspiration.

The winners of the 2011 Swiss Design Prize were shown in the U.S. for the first time at Dwell on Design. A pair of knitted vessels by Senior Design Factory caught the eye of these passersby.

The exhibition features seating that spans decades. Pictured from left are Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand's Chaise longue á réglage continu (1928), Peter Shire's Bel Air chair (1982), and Nacho Carbonell's One Man Chair (2009)

A "modern, minimal concrete house" in Eglaisau was assembled in nine months, thanks to German manufacturer Syspro's system of prefabricated concrete panels. Inspired by the work of the renowned Le Corbusier, the home combines industrial functionality with eco-friendly design, and offers a sprawling view of the countryside as well. Photo by: Hertha Hurnaus

The entire house is made from slabs of prefabricated, formaldehyde-free compressed straw.

The Mondaine Swiss Railway Wall Clock has been an icon in Switzerland for more than one hundred years. Known for its punctuality and precision, the Swiss Federal Railways have historically featured a train station manager who uses a special red paddle, announcing to passengers and train conductors when trains are about to depart. This red paddle is captured in the Mondaine Official Swiss Railways Clock, taking the place of a conventional second hand.

Heidi Wegener is the director of the Swiss Design Awards.

Villa le Lac by Le Corbusier in Coreaux, Switzerland "I was in Corseaux, in Vevey, to see a very small house: Le Corbusier's Petite Maison Coseaux (also called Villa le Lac). The house was built for his mother back in 1924. I had looked at the website, which stated it would be open for visitors, but when I arrived it was closed for construction. Just before getting into the car and returning to the hotel, I changed my mind and jumped the garden wall. Moments later I found myself all alone in this architectural curiosity." "The house is 64 square meters; it's a simple rectangular concrete structure with a garden terrace, open floor plan, and large windows. But even though it's small, Le Corbusier managed to fit a living room, a bedroom, powder room, small salon that could be converted to a bedroom for guests, vestibule, bathroom, kitchen, and closet into this house. It's the first example of modern architecture by Le Corbusier in Switzerland. The stroke of genius was a wall that he built in front of the lake obstructing the view. He designed a window in the wall, with a table and two benches inside the garden, so his mother could sit and watch the lake while being protected from the sun and wind. Sitting in front of the same window, I imagined what it might have been like, being here almost 90 years ago the day they finished construction. Did mother and son have a cup of the here? Feeling slightly guilty that I was trespassing—but still with a grin on my face—I sat there for a couple of hours in my own architecture history lesson surrounded by the Rhone valley and the Alps in Corseaux and the gorgeous view of the lake. I truly had a magic moment." —Designer Soren Rose, who was featured in Dwell's issue The Now 99.

At a glance, this airy box of a building may look like a typical office for a media conglomerate, with bold, open windows looking out over the nearby river. But the skeleton of this structure, built from a series of wooden pieces the required no joints or glue, suggests a much deeper level of craftsmanship and care, as do the numerous features, such as groundwater heating and cooling system, that make it a model of environmental design.

Sliced in half long ago, the 17th-century Halbhaus (or “Half House”) in Switzerland was recently reworked by designer Jonathan Tuckey as a family getaway.

Bet you didn't know that Pritzker-Prize winning architect Peter Zumthor studied at Pratt as an exchange student in 1966! Pictured here is one of the architect's most celebrated works, the spa at Therme Vals in Switzerland.

The Peter Zumthor-designed St. Benedict Chapel in Switzerland.

The home is set amidst the monumentality of the Swiss Alps.

The Stop2Go Watch from Swiss Company Mondaine takes the classic Swiss Railway Clock and reimagines it as a sophisticated wristwatch, complete with the iconic Mondaine red second hand. The red hand sweeps a full circle in 58 seconds—instead of the typical 60 seconds—and pauses for two seconds at 12 o’clock so the black minute hand can advance. The sweeping red hand then resumes its rotation, repeating this distinctive stop and go process. Originally conceived to ensure prompt departures for the Swiss trains, this effect also gives the illusion of an extra two seconds, where time momentarily stands still.

The Swiss Guard decked out in decorative garb at The Vatican.

The petite prefab cabin only took eight days to assemble once arriving to Switzerland.

The space “is a contrast in scale with the rest of the house,” notes Tuckey, who added a super-insulated roof he says works “like a woolly hat.”

Herzog + de Meuron used a variety of industrial materials throughout Dominus Estate. After ascending the stairwell to the second level, one is met by brutalist, concrete floors, a wire-mesh ceiling, floor-to-ceiling glass, and sunlight that shines through the gabions. A varnished-wood handrail contrasts with the metal, stone, and glass, adding warmth to the otherwise cool setting.

“We made something the size of a doll’s house feel like a cathedral.” —Jonathan Tuckey

The Moïtel in La Neuveville, Switzerland where Aitelier Oï is based.