Qualities of the diffuse city of the Ticino region

Heading into the heart of the diffuse city of the Ticino region, I considered the paradoxical hypothesis that such a city could become a referent; to understand and intensify its qualities in order to render it exemplary.

For 11 years, I have taught regularly in the Ticino region. Aurelio Galfetti, Luigi Snozzi, Alfredo Pini (Atelier 5) are exceptional figures: the manner in which they have succeeded in superimposing a certain German modernity on top of a very precise and attentive approach to their sites is well known. The awareness and above all the expertise they have developed in the planning of territory has preserved all its freshness, and continues to radiate throughout the region. To such an extent that within the milieu of workshops and academic work towards degrees, we have developed the paradoxical hypothesis that the “diffuse city” of the Ticino region could well become a referent. These projects envision transformations not through the application of a system of order, but through the intensifying of specific qualities found in the region to the point where they become exemplary. These experiences in Swiss precision combine with an American influence from the 19^th Century: playing with the power of “geographical” structures while paying attention to the qualities present in suburbia.