Modular Sculpture in Building Form: University Building in Mendrisio by Bassi Carella Marello

The façade is coloured to recall traditional brick buildings and the central access ramp is to bring an Alpine road to mind. Every effort to reference the region’s cultural and landscape context has been made by the architects Bassi Carella Marello of Geneva at the building in the Ticino city of Mendrisio designed for SUPSI University (Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana). Yet the institute building opposite the train station is uncompromisingly modern; with window openings up to 14 metres long, exposed concrete all over and flexibly usable rooms, it displays all the qualities of contemporary Swiss university design. The university’s architecture, design and civil engineering faculties mainly use the new-build whereby the city has also set up an underground garage with 400 Park&Ride parking spaces in the two basement levels. 

Precast concrete load-bearing structure
Only the central circulation area featuring a ramp leading to all levels and five alternating stair and elevator shafts are built in site-placed concrete integrally coloured red by addition of porphyry sand and iron oxide pigments. All other elements in the load-bearing structure are built of precast concrete parts, as in the case of the interior columns and girders with leads and piping running through their cavities, the ribbed ceiling slabs with pre-installed acoustic insulation on the underside, and most particularly the insulated façade elements. The structure is based on a 7.25-metre grid that doubles to an unusual 14.50 metres on the long side adjacent to the railway tracks. To bridge these spans, the window lintels were prestressed as a complete assembly – not only the load-bearing inner shells in LC 40/44 light concrete but also the considerably thinner outer shells. The other three facades are compartmentalised in structure. The building’s split-level arrangement is clearly legible at its end faces, whereby the eastern end has higher ceilings than the western one as befitting its larger windows.

Further Information:

Building physics, HLS planning: CSD Ingenieurs
Construction management: DIrezione Lavori SA
Construction company: Consorzio SUPSI Barella - Medici –Quadri
Precast concrete parts: Modultech, TGM Prefabbricati