Federer sold Wollerau glass home for bigger Lake Zurich project

The brief

Context

Roger Federer, the retired Swiss tennis great, built a modern three-storey glass house called "The Residence" at Wollerau in the canton of Schwyz on Lake Zurich, completed around 2014, as a family home with separate space for his parents. After shifting his official residence to Valbella in Graubünden in 2015, he listed the Wollerau house in 2017 and it was sold in 2018. Around the same time he bought a far larger waterfront site at Kempraten in Rapperswil-Jona, also on Lake Zurich, for a multi-building estate. That project has been slowed by objections over the waterfront, environment and lake access, with Swissinfo reporting in August 2025 that construction was finally progressing.

Key facts

• Federer's Wollerau home, "The Residence", was a three-storey glass house of about 500 square metres with balconies, a pool and underground parking.
• The Wollerau project was completed around 2014; Architectural Digest India put its value at about GBP 6.5 million at the time.
• Federer moved his official residence to Valbella in the canton of Graubunden in 2015.
• The Wollerau property was listed in 2017 at a reported 5.4 million Swiss francs, about $5.3 million; the sale was reported in July 2018.
• Bote der Urschweiz reported the final price paid was not known; local reports said the buyer was a wealth-management professional from the canton of Zurich.
• In 2018 Federer acquired a waterfront site at Kempraten, Rapperswil-Jona, reported at roughly 16,000 to 18,000 square metres, valued at about 40-50 million Swiss francs.
• Le Temps reported in 2024 that Federer was building about half a dozen structures on the site, with construction costs estimated at another 20 million francs.
• Swissinfo reported in August 2025 that construction was moving ahead on the almost 17,000 sq m site; the family had originally hoped to move in by 2021.

Timeline

1. Around 2014Construction of Federer's Wollerau glass home, "The Residence", is completed in the canton of Schwyz.
2. 2015Federer moves his official Swiss residence to Valbella in the canton of Graubunden.
3. 2017The Wollerau property is put up for sale at a reported asking price of 5.4 million Swiss francs (about $5.3 million).
4. 2018Federer acquires the large waterfront site at Kempraten, Rapperswil-Jona.
5. July 2018The sale of the Wollerau home is reported; the final price is not publicly confirmed.
6. 2019Swiss broadcaster SRF reports that the building permit for the Rapperswil-Jona project has been approved.
7. 2021The year the Federer family had originally hoped to move into the new estate, per Swissinfo.
8. 2024Le Temps reports on the scale and cost of the project; Blick reports Federer sold a roughly 5,800 sq m plot in Herrliberg.
9. August 2025Swissinfo reports construction on the almost 17,000 sq m Rapperswil-Jona site is progressing after delays.

Who has a stake

• Roger Federer and family (Mirka, four children, parents Robert and Lynette) — Housing plans and privacy; the Wollerau house included a separate living space for his parents, while the new estate offers more room.
• Rapperswil-Jona / Kempraten local authorities — Granting and defending building permits for a large private waterfront development on Lake Zurich.
• Objectors on environment and lake access — Disputes over waterfront use, environmental issues and public access along the lake have delayed construction.
• Swiss federal authorities — Challenged the approval for the planned boat shelter on the property, according to Le Temps.
• Buyer of the Wollerau home — A wealthy wealth-management professional from the canton of Zurich reportedly acquired the property in 2018.
• Swiss media (Swissinfo, SRF, Bote der Urschweiz, Blick, Le Temps) — Reporting and verifying figures on prices, permits and construction progress.

Why it matters

The story shows how even a globally famous athlete's private construction plans must clear local planning objections tied to lakefront access and environmental protection, delaying a project by years. It also illustrates how celebrity property values reported in the media are often asking prices or estimates rather than confirmed transactions, a distinction readers should watch for.