In the beginning

When I was a teen - somewhere in the early 1960s - I dreamt of becoming an architect. I drew, coloured, changed, threw away, started all over on tons of architectural projects. Fairy tale castles; hyper-modern houses inspired by Le Corbusier; Swiss mountain chalets; Dutch thatched roof farms as you find them in Blaricum; and improvements on the many many houses my parents moved me to over the years; they all came on paper mainly drawn by pencil and coloured with Swiss Caran d’Ache.

Rufena

After more moves, including a stint in Mareil Marly and Knegsel — of all places — and managing with blood sweat and tears to finish school at the Alberdingk Thijm College, the family council took the decision to restore and embellish the fabulous Casa Colonica Rufena, figuring on the Medici maps of the Chianti. For a good decennium, starting in 1973, this was my opportunity to put architecture into practice: design; purchase; collaboration and supervision; making mistakes and getting hurt. We did close to everything one does when restauring a centuries old house: cleaning; masonry; electricity; plumbing; landscaping; gardening; furnishing including building furniture. One of the most unforgettable times in my life so far.

Architecture in Lausanne

… work in progress …