Modulverantwortung: Peter Althaus
Lehrteam: Peter Althaus, Johannes Käferstein, Ludovica Molo, Lando Rossmaier, Annika Seifert, Felix Wettstein, Assistant: Shehrie Islamaj

Lugano – città in transizione 2.0

After investigating the two neuralgic points Stazione Nord and Piazzale ex scuole, we now will work on the station between the two: Cappuccine, an important interface in the future of the urban landscape of Lugano. This is where the new tram is expected to leave the tunnel from 2027 on, which will take commuters directly to the SBB railway station and connect Lugano’s centre with the agglomeration of Piano del Vedeggio and Ponte Tresa. The Cappuccine stop will be framed by the twin buildings of the former Banca della Svizzera Italiana (BSI). The site is located on the outskirts of the compact old part of town, in the immediate vicinity of the aforementioned Piazzale ex scuole. We will, of course, first deal with the existing building stock and its location in the urban landscape, given the current discussions on sustainable architecture, preservation of substance, densification, urban transformation and new forms of living and housing. Unsurprisingly, the city of Lugano, too, faces a shortage of affordable housing. While we talk incessantly about inclusion and diversity in the feature pages and in the media, our cities are becoming increasingly homogeneous. In the larger cities north of the Alps, cooperatives and the cities themselves are somewhat helping to mitigate this trend. Such corrective measures are largely absent in Lugano.

The aim of the thesis assignment is to rethink this central location, which will grow in importance for Lugano’s urban landscape owing to the new tram line. We are looking for a fantastic building that finds a clever way of dealing with the existing structures, taking all this a step further and developing it in an intelligent manner – a building that relates clearly to the city and hence also to the street and the public outdoor space.

Site Visit  Wed 21 September 2022, 10.00, Lugano