Montarina | Mino Caggiula Architects

MONTARINA

Location: Lugano, Montarina, Switzerland
Building area: 4586 sqm
Date: 2017 – ongoing

The planning of this luxury residence is based on the principle according to which creativity springs from the synergy between the nature of the place and the intervention of man. As a consequence, it was essential to analyse the peculiarities of the location, since we have found a pragmatic solution to the clear and evident conditions of the land. The plot has three positive elements and two negative ones. The positive ones, that had to be highlighted, are a centuries-old conifer in the South-West, the view of the lake to the East and the panorama of the mountains to the North. The negative aspects, that had to be concealed, are the road in the West and a neighbouring equally tall building in the South-East. Hence a volumetric approach that is both open to the site and closed from it, and that can be represented as two joined hands, with their fingers crossed. In order to emphasise the open approach, we designed a glass façade with cantilever terraces facing the conifer and mountains, with internal layouts that point towards the other two views at the same time. These simple concepts and gestures give birth to a sinuous and balanced architecture within the context, that together envelop the volume by alternating opening and closing, and offer different perspectives towards the surrounding landscape.