Prix Versailles to Mario Botta
Institutional Communication Service
30 January 2024
Ticino's architect Mario Botta, co-founder of the USI Academy of Architecture, has been presented with the Prix Versailles for the interiors of the new wing, due to open in 2022, of the Fox Town shopping centre in Mendrisio.
Prix Versailles is a prestigious international award established in 2015 to promote architecture and design that is both aesthetically remarkable and ethically conscious. The award supports innovation, creativity, ecological efficiency, and respect for local heritage. It focuses on the most globally relevant contemporary projects, spanning different categories such as airports, stations, hotels, restaurants, and shopping centres.
In an interview with the French newspaper 24 heures, Mario Botta expressed his surprise upon receiving the award, describing it as an unexpected gift from the sky. He referred not only to the fact that the award was an unexpected recognition but also to the use of wood for the interiors that was recovered from trees fallen after a storm.
