The Teatro dell'architettura has been presented

The presentation of the Teatro dell’architettura was held tonight in Mendrisio. The new building of the Università della Svizzera italiana has been designed to foster the cultural debate in the field of architecture and the visual arts, in close connection with other USI disciplines and the territory.

The ceremony was attended by State Secretary for Education, Research, and Innovation Mauro dell’Ambrogio, by the Director of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport of Canton Ticino Manuele Bertoli, the Mayor of Mendrisio Carlo Croci, USI Rector Boas Erez, the Director of the Academy Riccardo Blumer,and Architect Mario Botta, who designed the building.

The new construction was presented today to the political authorities, the academic community, companies, and people close to the project and to the world of architecture. It will be the home of freethinking, a laboratory of contemporary experimentation able to capture and convey the cultural trends of our time. 

Financed by USI, federal subsidies, and private contributions, the building cost around 15 million Swiss Francs. The exhibitions programme is the result of the cooperation between USI/Academy and the Fondazione Teatro dell’architettura. 

From March, the new space will host a series of events aimed at testing its potential. First in line, the workshop “Sette architetture automatiche“ on the works by students who attended Blumer’s Atelier, promoted by the outgoing Academy Director Marc Collomb. The workshop will presents innovative interactive installations. Lessons, debates, film screenings, and other training events will follow in the Spring. 

The public opening of the Teatro dell’architettura will be held on Thursday, October 11, 2018, with the exhibition “Louis Kahn e Venezia”, dedicated to the 1969 projects by the famous American architect for a congress centre in Venice: works that had a strong influence on the European architectural debate of the time.

Pictures of the ribbon cutting ceremony will be available from 7pm at the following link: http://www.copyrightfree.ch/

For other pictures of the building and further information: http://www.arc.usi.ch/it/teatro-architettura