Concept / Unbuilt · 2026

RIVE HAUTE

Swiss Lakeside Residential Concept

Project type: Residential Concept / Unbuilt Study
Concept setting: Imagined hillside above Lake Geneva, Switzerland
Status: Concept / Unbuilt
Year: 2026
Programmed internal area: Approx. 450 m², including garage; wall thickness excluded
Illustrative gross enclosed area: Approx. 510 m²; not a measured floor-area calculation
Covered exterior: Approx. 110 m²: 75 m² upper terrace + 35 m² lower loggia
Open garden terrace: Approx. 90 m²
Levels: Two occupied levels
Bedrooms: Four, including one flexible bedroom / family room

An imagined setting and unbuilt concept. No real parcel, property offer or development permission is represented.

Project statement

Rive Haute is a speculative Swiss lakeside residential concept exploring the meeting of a steep landscape, a sheltered domestic interior and a long view across the water. Stone grounds the lower level in the slope while a warm timber volume gathers the living rooms above.

A planted court, shaded south terrace and carefully placed openings support year-round use. Its compact plan uses two occupied levels to follow the slope, with sheltered openings and generous solid walls.

The imagined setting is a north-shore Lake Geneva hillside with road access at the upper edge and a garden opening south. It represents no real parcel, address, client, protected view or building entitlement.

Reading the project

Entering from the upper edge makes the slope part of the domestic sequence. Living rooms take the longer view, while the lower level finds a quieter relationship with the garden. The stone base and timber volume express these different conditions rather than disguising the house as a flat-site pavilion.

Proposed palette / visual study

Material composition

A restrained set of surfaces connects the spaces throughout this concept. The image detail shows their intended relationship; finishes remain illustrative rather than product specifications.

Natural stone
Warm timber
Dark metal
Warm off-white plaster
Clear architectural glass

Conceptual budget / 2026

Estimated construction budget: CHF 3.6M–5.2M
Estimated total development cost: CHF 6.5M–10.5M+

These are illustrative design-stage budget scenarios for fictional projects, not contractor quotes, valuations, researched market prices or offers for sale. Acquisition allowances are invented planning assumptions, not valuations of land or buildings. Actual costs may fall outside these ranges.

Budget assumptions

Allowance	Concept range
Construction & fit-out allowance	CHF 3.6M–5.2M
Illustrative land acquisition allowance	CHF 1.5M–3M
Professional fees, site works, taxes & contingency allowance	CHF 1.4M–2.3M

Acquisition and the listed allowances are included in the total scenario. Financing is excluded. Planning requirements, professional fees, engineering, permits, taxes, infrastructure and site-specific conditions may materially change the result; these allowances have not been independently assessed.

Uphill arrival at the upper living level — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Uphill arrival at the upper living level

Entrance threshold — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Entrance threshold

Planted light court and stair — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Planted light court and stair

Living room — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Living room

Dining room — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Dining room

Kitchen — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Kitchen

Study / reading room — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Study / reading room

Flexible bedroom / family media room — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Flexible bedroom / family media room

Primary bedroom — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Primary bedroom

Primary bathroom — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Primary bathroom

Primary dressing — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Primary dressing

Guest bedroom — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Guest bedroom

Second guest bedroom — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Second guest bedroom

Guest bathroom — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Guest bathroom

Wellness / sauna — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Wellness / sauna

Guest powder room — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Guest powder room

Pantry and laundry service connection — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Pantry and laundry service connection

Two-car garage at upper road level — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Two-car garage at upper road level

Covered terrace / summer — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Covered terrace / summer

Lower garden loggia — RIVE HAUTE conceptual visualization — Lower garden loggia

Concept plans

Spatial studies / not to scale

Room relationships, circulation and outdoor spaces. Drawings and images explore the same brief; they are illustrative studies and are not technically coordinated construction documents.

RIVE HAUTE — Upper level / Arrival and living conceptual drawing — Upper level / Arrival and living / not to scale

RIVE HAUTE — Lower level / Private rooms and garden conceptual drawing — Lower level / Private rooms and garden / not to scale

Project details

RIVE HAUTE

Upper level — 240 m²

Space	Program area
Two-car garage	42 m²
Entrance / coat and boot zone	14 m²
Stair and lift lobby	22 m²
Living room	48 m²
Dining room	25 m²
Kitchen	21 m²
Pantry	7 m²
Study / reading room	18 m²
Guest powder room	5 m²
Laundry / utility	8 m²
Mechanical / service room	12 m²
Internal circulation and storage	18 m²
Total	240 m²

Lower level — 210 m²

Space	Program area
Primary bedroom	27 m²
Primary dressing	13 m²
Primary bathroom	17 m²
Guest bedroom 1	23 m²
Guest bathroom 1	7 m²
Guest bedroom 2	21 m²
Guest bathroom 2	7 m²
Flexible bedroom / family room	22 m²
Shared bathroom	7 m²
Wellness / exercise room	25 m²
Sauna and shower zone	7 m²
Hall and circulation	22 m²
Storage	12 m²
Total	210 m²

Architectural language

Two long, offset volumes: a low stone base embedded in the slope and a quieter warm timber-clad upper level at road grade.
Principal living rooms sit above and open south to a recessed, shaded terrace; private bedrooms open to the lower garden and loggia.
A central stair and lift provision connect both occupied levels. A planted light court brings daylight to the hillside edge.
The room layout reserves solid furniture walls, privacy cores, service space and practical circulation rather than using glass everywhere.

Material and landscape direction

One consistent pale or warm-grey stone expression at the lower level; restrained warm timber at the upper volume.
Warm oak joinery, smooth mineral plaster, restrained stone at entry and wet rooms, timber floors in sleeping rooms, and one dark bronze/black metal finish.
Native or adapted planting, mature deciduous trees where feasible, meadow-like ground cover and modest contour-following terraces.
No Mediterranean olive grove, resort pool or cliff-edge imagery. No pool is proposed.

Climate and technology intent

Continuous insulated and airtight envelope with high-performance windows and external shading at south-facing glazing.
Conceptual heat-pump system, hydronic low-temperature heating, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and distinct living, bedroom, study and wellness control zones.
Humidity control and extraction for bathrooms, laundry and sauna; operable windows support cross-ventilation when exterior conditions allow.
Retaining structure, drainage, waterproofing, soil pressure, energy performance and equipment selection require qualified local professionals.

Concept status & limitations

Rive Haute is a speculative, unbuilt design study. The site, imagery, room areas, dimensions, structural and environmental strategies, materials, and costs are illustrative and may be AI-assisted. Areas and geometry are design-stage assumptions, not surveyed or approved calculations.

This work is not intended for construction, permitting, engineering, code compliance, energy certification, valuation, or professional architectural services. A real project would require a real site and review by appropriately qualified local architects, engineers, consultants and authorities.

The cost figures are invented concept-stage scenarios, not researched market prices, contractor quotes or valuations. Land, financing, planning, taxes, professional fees, engineering, permits, infrastructure, excavation, retaining, drainage and site conditions could materially change any real-world cost.

All disclaimers