LAC. Lugano Arte e Cultura. The new cultural centre of the city of Lugano

Ivano Gianola

LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura The new cultural centre of the city of Lugano

Ivano Gianola

LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura The new cultural centre of the city of Lugano

edited by Caterina Frisone photographs by Alessandra Chemollo

Editorial project Forma Edizioni srl, Firenze, Italia redazione@formaedizioni.it www.formaedizioni.it Editorial production Archea Associati Publishing and editorial coordination Laura Andreini Editorial staff Valentina Muscedra Maria Giulia Caliri Beatrice Papucci Elena Ronchi Graphic design Mauro Sampaolesi Elisa Balducci Sara Castelluccio Vitoria Muzi Photolithography Art & Pixel, Firenze, Italy Printing Cartografica Toscana, Pistoia, Italy Translations Kathleen Hannan Susan Martin Texts © the authors Photographs by Alessandra Chemollo unless otherwise specified: © Isabella Balena pp. 156-157 © Manolo Gallo p. 27 © Guido Harari pp. 124-125 © Lapix pp. 190-191 © Renato Quadroni pp. 27, 122-123 © Studio Pandakovic p. 174 © Studiopagi pp. 174, 176-177 © Ufficio federale di topografia swisstopo pp. 14-15 Drawings © Arch. Ivano Gianola

© 2015 Forma Edizioni srl, Firenze, Italy All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

First edition: September 2015 ISBN: 978-88-96780-85-5

Presentation 10

LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura: the new pulsating heart of the city Michel Gagnon

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The LAC: a building for the city, a book for a building Marco Casamonti Project

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Lugano and the history of the Grand H么tel Palace

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The competition for the Ex-Palace. The three phases and Gianola, the winner

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The development of the project. From the sketch to the construction

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LAC, a history of sustainable construction Work

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Public spaces. The Piazza and the re-found Courts

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The Hall. The centre of the cross

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The Museum at LAC: a home for art

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The Theatre of the LAC. The space in motion

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The Concert Hall of the LAC

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On the Harmony of Acoustics in Architecture

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Park LAC. Green spaces commenting on architecture Appendices

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Project credits

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Biographies / Bibliography

Lugano and the history of the Grand Hôtel Palace Caterina Frisone

To better understand the history of the Grand Hôtel Palace – created from the walls of the Convent of the Capuchin Friars – and its relationship with Lugano and the Lake, it is essential to understand the urban morphological evolution. The location of the Church of St. Mary of the Angels (1515) and the Convent, located at the south gateway of the city, was not random: the Convent masterplan foresaw, in fact, the positioning of the sacred buildings at the vertices of a triangle that, passing through the Cathedral, would enclose the ancient city that today has become the historic centre.

The urban development of Lugano has had six stages: the first, between the IX and XII centuries, which saw the formation of the original urban village along the axis linking the roads from the South (Melide-Carona) and South-West (Sorengo-Loreto) and the road coming from the North (Monteceneri). Along this axis the three main urban sectors took shape: Nassa, in the South; Cioccaro, in the North; Verla, in the North-East. The second stage, between the XIII and XIV centuries, had to fill the gaps along the axis of the villages, especially in the East with the formation of a fourth district, the one of Canova (the “new houses”) and the construction of the Bishop’s Palace (XIV century) and Praetorian Hall (XV century) which gave shape to Piazza Grande, named Piazza Riforma since 1830. The first two stages of development marked the original morphological structure of Lugano, which remained more or less the same in the third stage, 1600-1798, when Lugano won its independence (1798). The last three stages have seen the great changes of Lugano related to the development of the pre-industrial city of the XIX century (4th stage), the arrival of the railway and transportation that allowed the transition of Lugano from little town to modern city and tourist centre (5th stage) and, finally, the post-War period when Lugano became a business city (6th stage). The

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XX century industrial development, and the consequent demographic and social repercussions, have led to an almost uncontrolled urban expansion on the surrounding hills of the city, in the South, above Paradiso, in the North, toward Molino Nuovo and Cornaredo, and in the East, above Cassarate.

During the mid-XIX century, thanks to the opening of the Gotthard Tunnel and the policy of road improvement, the Ticino Canton became a pole of interest for Northen European visitors, mainly attracted by the favorable climate of the region. The Surveyor of the Canton, Engineer Daldini, who had been commissioned to assess the suppressed religious buildings, suggested transforming the Convent of Minor Friars into a modern hotel. After remaining unsold at auction for a long time, in 1850 it was bought by Giacomo Ciani (1776-1868) who was confident about the fast tourism development of Lugano and commissioned Architect Chierichetti (17981876) to turn the Convent into a hotel. Preserving most of the structures of the Convent, Chierichetti retained the two cloisters, but joined them in a single court eliminating the central diaphragm; moreover, he elevated the wing of the building overlooking the Lake up to three floors, that was the height of the old tower that once occupied the south-east corner of the Convent. The Hôtel Du Parc is the only case in Lugano of transformation of a monastery into a hotel. The structure of the Convent was mostly preserved and integrated within the new massive L shape building featuring two monumental neoclassical façades, one facing the Lake and the other one facing the park.

The decorations of the façade overlooking the Lake – four giants that hold large balconies and balustrades – were sculpted in Saltrio Stone by Louis Marchesi of Viggiù.

The façade toward the park was instead organized as a Palladian mansion, with a large central tympanum and two higher bodies with rusticated surface on either side.

Top, left Monastery of the Franciscan Capuchin Friars Minor View from about 1800 Top, right View from the Hôtel Du Parc (1855) showing two different façades, the urban façade facing the lake and the other in Palladian style facing the park Bottom Map of Lugano, 1856. Shown here are the Hôtel Du Parc built on the walls of the Capuchin Convent (15th century) and the future Piazza Riforma with the Bishop’s Palace (14th century) and the Town Council Building (15th century)

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Public spaces.

The Piazza and the re-found Courts Caterina Frisone

The vast area devoted to public spaces of the LAC consists of a large square, the courts of the cloister, the court with the open-air theatre in the rear of the building and several connecting walkways. Ivano Gianola’s idea of ​​public space is to not have a physical separation between the streets of the city and the building. As the street and the square, the ground floor, too, must be accessible by man: interior spaces should be as the ones of the shops of an urban street, where the ground floor is public. In order to accomplish this result it needs to give the pedetrians the feeling of not being stopped; as far as possible, we must ensure that the threshold inside-outside does not exist. Gianola has already successfully applied this principle to the project for two urban blocks in the centre of Munich, Germany.

It was important to allow people to walk across the building as if it were an ordinary passageway.

The Piazza of the LAC is rectangular, with a perfectly horizontal surface of natural stone slabs. If compared to Piazza Riforma including arcades, the new square is even larger. In addition, it has distinguished references in history, having similar proportions to and being superimposable on the Piazzetta of St. Mark in Venice or the square of the Cathedral in Como. Besides being a place of crossing and connection, the Piazza of the LAC is a meeting point and Gianola has conceived it as a stage overlooking the Lake: despite being bounded on three sides – Ex-Palace, Hall and wing of the Museum – and thanks to the fact that the Museum does not touch the ground and the square is elevated from the street level, it is always possible to see the Lake, without interference, with a panoramic view of 180°.

In the part of the project carried out by private clients, relating to the Ex-Palace, new passageways were created that allow access to the cloister of the former Convent and the second new inner courtyard.

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The restoration of the former Convent was an important step necessary to complete the urban transformation of this part of town. The building, protected by the Canton, presented critical static problems and an accentuated deterioration in the intermingling with the former Hotel Palace and because of the introduction of the bulkheads necessary to the project. Following the delicate work of consolidation and reinforcement – designed to particularly safeguard the Church and the precious fresco by Bernardino Luini – the restored building helps to define the new outdoor spaces. The ancient cloister has been completed by the private with symbolic arcades, while to the west of the building, along with the volume of theTheatre, a new courtyard has been created. On the vaults of the fifth century porticos several fresco decorations, such as the “orifiammi” of San Bernardino, red stars with eight rays stencilled on the vaults were found.

All the restored rooms of the monastery belong now to the complex of the LAC, and they are used upstairs as the administrative offices. The old spaces, (convent, church, former cloister) have resumed life: they are pathways that relate to the new cultural centre and enter into a large project of urban furniture and green design.

Piazza and Ex-Palace Hotel seen from under the “prow” of the Museum Following pages The raised piazza enclosed by the Museum, Hall and Ex-Palace Hotel

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Transversal section through the Theatre, the service areas, new courtyard, old cloister and Ex-Palace Hotel

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The interior of the Hall with the staircase complex.

This space is the centre of the cross that connects the Park with the Piazza, and the Museum with the Theatre Following pages Entrance and interior of the Hall seen from the Park.

The Park is linked to the Piazza through the glass walls providing a panoramic view towards the Lake

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Previous pages Side view of the Museum. The Piazza, the Ex-Palace Hotel, and Lake Lugano can be seen under the portico

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South elevation of the Museum Following pages Overhead view of the Museum wing and the Piazza

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Internal view of the second floor room located in the “prow� of the Museum and the huge window that frames the landscape

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Construction details of the balcony parapet and orchestra seating Following pages The auditorium under construction during acoustic shell installation

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1. Parapet handrail Ø 50mm. Leather or rubber covered brass balcony rail 2. Brushed finish stainless steel plate 50×10 3. MCurved solid wood, safety 4. Curved profiles built with tubular crossbeams 40×20×2 5. Sorb veneer plywood straight sector panels 6. Welded 30/10 metal sheet squares to anchor structure to R.C. 7. Attachment folded sheet metal Curved profile 30/10 8. Mineral acoustic insulation 50mm 9. Mineral acoustic insulation 50mm 10. Lighting 11. Type 2 ceiling Section panels Recessed lighting panels under Gallery/balcony 30mm Sorb veneer plywood 20kg/mq 12. Fixing bracket 13. Metal profile 40×60×4 mm 14. TH 4mm 15. 30/10 press folded sheet metal 16. R.C. slab 17. 52mm plywood 18. Wenge parquet flooring 22mm 19. Iron for structural frame 60×60×3 mm 20. Acoustic insulation 50mm 21. 21mm plywood cladding on internal parapet 15kg/mq 22. Fixing bracket

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Project credits

Location Lugano, Switzerland Program new cultural centre Cost 200.000.000 CHF Built area around 9,125 m2 Total volume about 185,900 m3 Chronology 2000 First stage of competition 2001 Second stage of competition 2002 Third stage of competition 2006 Start of preliminary construction works 2009 Commencement of construction of elevated structures 2015 Completion and inauguration Client Città di Lugano Architectural design Arch. Ivano Gianola, Mendrisio (I. Gianola, S. Rizzi, M. Scuffi, M. Baldo, G. Battaglia, P. Stoppa, M. Guidicelli, G. Gennaio, R. Toscanelli, F. De Dominicis, O. Medici, G. Desigis, S. Rondina, C. Brunori) Project Director Arch. Ivano Gianola, Mendrisio Civil Engineers Balmelli & Partner Ingegneria, Lugano (Ing. Balmelli) Electrical Engineers Elettroconsulenze Solcà, Mendrisio (Ing. Menaballi) Mechanical Engineers Tami-Cometta & Associati, Lugano (Ing. Cometta) Preliminary Works Ing. Gianfranco Dazio, Cadenazzo-Lugano (Ing. Dazio / Chief of preliminary works) Ingg. Borlini & Zanini, Lugano (Ing. Zanini / infrastructures and roads) Ingg. Leoni-Gysi-Sartori, Sorengo (Ing. Leoni / geotechnical engineering) Civil Engineers Museum, Hall, Garage Balmelli & Partner Ingegneria, Lugano Studio ingegneria Sciarini, Vira Gambarogno Theatre Passera e Pedretti Consulting, Grancia AR & PA Engineering, Pregassona

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Electrical Engineers Museum, Hall, Garage Elettroconsulenze Solcà, Mendrisio Alpiq, Lugano Theatre Scherler, Lugano Alpiq, Lugano Mechanical Engineer Museum, Hall, Garage Tami-Cometta & Associati, Lugano Alpiq, Lugano Theatre Visani Rusconi Talleri (VRT), Lugano Alpiq, Lugano Acoustics Müller-BBM, D-Planegg Stagecraft Kunkel Consulting, D-Bür Scenography Peter Bissegger, Intragna Construction Physics IFEC Consulenze, Rivera Fire-safety Istituto di Sicurezza/Swissi, Massagno Circulation Brugnoli e Gottardi Ingegneri Consulenti, Massagno Lighting Engineering Consuline Architetti Associati, I-Milano Glass - Metal / Stone Façades Renato Conti / Sergio Hofer, Lugano Signposting CCRZ, Balerna Landscaping Pandakovic e Associati, I-Como Deposit into the Lake Ing. Urs Luechinger, Pregassona Passera e Pedretti Consulting, Grancia GRAIA / I-Varano Borghi General Contractor COMSA, Barcellona (Project Manager Ing. F. Ricci)

Biographies

Ivano Gianola is one of the five architects from the Ticinese architectural movement established in the mid-1970s to counter the increasing environmental destruction of the Ticinese landscape caused by indiscriminate overbuilding. After training in Zurich, Gianola began his architectural career in the Ticino region, “self-teaching” himself with passion and determination by studying the work of the Modern Movement Masters. Within a short time, he was strongly motivated to achieve a complete cultural education. During this aesthetic research, he began to study classical architecture and more modern interpretations of Le Corbusier’s regulating lines, Mies Van Der Rohe’s musical rhythm, and Paul Klee’s pictorial lines.

Geometrical rules established in a precise and conscious manner form the structure of his projects, simple and restrained in their use of materials, but sophisticated, rich in detail, and extremely close to nature.

It was at this time that Gianola began to distance himself from the rationalist Ticinese movement, practising a “step at a time” policy, even accepting small commissions in order to demonstrate that maximum results could be obtained with a minimum of means, researching value in both nobility of form and in a refined use of traditional constructive techniques. Man is always the main objective in Gianola’s projects: with man in mind, he subjects nature – capturing light, using colours and materials and selecting orientations and views to establish a strong

and decisive relationship with the horizon. Another feature of Gianola’s work is the repetitive “artisanal” component, whether applied to private homes, (all completely different), schools or public buildings constructed in the Ticino canton and in Germany. In 1997-2000, the architect’s wealth of accumulated experience finally found an appropriate application in his German projects in Stuttgart and Munich, where his successful impact on the city resulted in a leap in quality, today confirmed with the creation of the LAC complex.

Caterina Frisone received her degree in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1986. In 1987, she was awarded her Master Arch II in Urban Design at Syracuse University. After working for two years in Mendrisio (Switzerland) in the architectural firm of Ivano Gianola, she moved to Venice where in 1992, she began research and teaching at IUAV University with Prof.

Francesco Venezia until 2007. She has written for some of the most important Italian architectural magazines and has edited numerous publications. She has been working as a freelance professional since 1990, and has taught in various American universities, while maintaining her professional activity in Venice, and her teaching and research work at the IUAV University in Venice.

Bibliography 1. Trasformazione urbanistica nella storia di Lugano dal Medioevo all’età moderna (sec. IX-XX) abstract from: AA.VV. Relazione tecnica, in: Piano Regolatore, sezione di Lugano, città di Lugano, Lugano 1983.

2. Hôtel Du Parc e villa nel parco: dall’esule all’ospite d’albergo abstract from: Andreas Hauser, Analisi dell’insediamento, in:

Inventario Svizzero di Architettura 1850-1920, vol. VI Lugano, Società di Storia dell’Arte in Svizzera, Berna 1991, pp. 243-246.

3. Luini, Bernardino, Piazza abstract from: Andreas Hauser, Inventario fotografico, in: Inventario Svizzero di Architettura 1850-1920, vol.VI Lugano, Società di Storia dell’Arte in Svizzera, Berna 1991, pp. 318-319.

4. R. Bergossi, Il primo grande albergo: l’Hôtel Du Parc (Palace) e il vecchio albergo Du Parc trasformato in Gran Hôtel Palace abstract from: A. Gili, Nascita e sviluppi storici del settore turistico alberghiero a Lugano, in Lugano Hotels (Alberghi-Storia-Architetture), Edizioni città di Lugano, Lugano 1998, p. 18 and p. 25.

5. Du Parc (1855) e Belvedere del Parco (1855)

abstract from: P. Costantini e A. Gili, Schede degli alberghi d’epoca a Lugano (18001930 ca), in A. Gili, Lugano Hotels (AlberghiStoria-Architetture), Edizioni città di Lugano, Lugano 1998, p. 76 and p. 81.

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This volum was printed in September 2015 by Forma Edizioni, Italy

The LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura, built at the entrance of the city on the site of the ex-Hotel Palace, is the most important public work constructed in Switzerland in the first two decades of the century. The area, located to the south of Lugano, is particularly valued for the historical presence of the Church of St. Mary of the Angels (1449 – 1515) and the sixteenth century Capuchin cloister, part of which was demolished in the mid-nineteenth century to make way for the construction of the Hôtel Du Parc, renamed the Grand Hôtel Palace after a 1904 extension.

Gianola’s concept is a project for the city: the new developments are embodied in the place, reviving the spirit of the previous urban activities that characterized this area for centuries: religion and hospitality. The Genius Loci, already present in the splendor of the Grand Hôtel Palace – a charismatic spot in the city for more than a century – re-emerges in the LAC, regaining the role of urban hub and crossroads of cultural exchange. The LAC thus becomes the generating element to rekindle and give new energy to this part of the city that has been dormant since 1969, the year of the Palace’s closure. The basis of the project is the idea that the LAC – composed of a theatre for 1,000 people, a modern art museum, housing, offices, covered parking, and a city park – is located at the centre of a cross. At the LAC crossroads, these attractions converge and spread out on an urban scale, and thanks to the urban facilities and services will also reach out on a national and European scale.

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