From 1393 to Today: The Timeless Renewal of Two Walser Homes in Lech

Reinvigorating the Walser Spirit

In the Arlberg region, architecture has always been an act of endurance and adaptation. The Walser houses that define the valleys of Lech and Zug were built as quiet responses to the landscape — timber assembled with practicality, intelligence, and grace. Over centuries, they have endured countless winters, their proportions and materials refined by use and by time.

Today, two of these houses — Chalet Sonnenhof and Haus W — have been carefully renewed. Their restoration was guided by the same spirit that created them: an understanding that true modernisation means continuity, not reinvention.

Chalet Sonnenhof — A Fourteenth-Century Home Restored

Dating back to 1393, Chalet Sonnenhof is one of the oldest Walser houses in the Arlberg. Its revival preserves the structure’s integrity while introducing a contemporary clarity. The exterior, newly clad in handcrafted shingles, reads as both traditional and precise — a gesture of respect toward the building’s original form and the craft that sustains it.

Inside, light filters through low windows onto timber walls and ceilings that retain their patina. Modern interventions — subtle lighting, bespoke furnishings, carefully chosen materials — are integrated with restraint. The atmosphere is one of calm continuity: historic yet fresh, intimate yet quietly sophisticated. It feels less like a restoration than a conversation across centuries.

Though deeply rooted in its past, Sonnenhof makes no compromise on comfort. A private sauna offers quiet retreat after a day on the slopes, and the house sits directly next to the ski lift  — allowing guests to ski-in and ski-out with ease.

Haus W — Heritage Reinterpreted in Zug

A short walk away in Zug stands Haus W, another Walser house that has been thoughtfully renewed. Here too, much of the original structure remains — beams, rooflines, and spatial rhythm preserved to retain the home’s sense of belonging. The restoration sought to reveal the simplicity already present, refining rather than remaking.

Natural materials dominate: aged wood and handcrafted details that maintain a tactile connection to the past. Spaces once built for necessity now feel open and intentional, but never detached from their origins. The dialogue between old and new is seamless — a gentle evolution that respects the logic of the original builders while accommodating the quiet rituals of contemporary life.

Comfort is integrated with the same care as design. Haus W includes a sauna and like Sonnenhof, it offers direct ski-in, ski-out access — connecting the intimacy of a private home with the immediacy of the mountains.

Architecture as Continuity

In both homes, the work is less about design as statement than design as stewardship. Each project demonstrates that heritage can be lived with, not just looked at. To stay in one of these houses is to experience the particular calm that comes when architecture feels both enduring and alive — a quality born not from novelty, but from care.

The renewal of Chalet Sonnenhof and Haus W reminds us that preservation need not mean stillness. In Lech, the Walser spirit continues — not frozen in time, but reimagined for those who value authenticity, comfort, and a profound sense of place.