The elegance of discretion

With admiring respect, the South Tyrolean firm MoDusArchitects completed and remodeled the spaces of the Cusanus Academy in Bressanone. Introducing no new stylistic notes, they chose continuity with the example of the local architect Othmar Barth, who designed the complex’s main building

MoDusArchitects studio, founded in Bolzano by Matteo Scagnol and Sandy Attia, won a competition in 2017 to restore and expand the Cusanus Academy in Bressanone. This school focuses on cultural exchange between the secular and religious world and was named for the Renaissance cardinal and humanist Nikolaus Cusanus, who forged fruitful relations of mutual respect with Leon Battista Alberti at the papal curia. MoDus’s design seeks to foster interaction with the city and local community, adapting and updating the Academy’s diverse spaces for higher education and hospitality, choosing a calibrated vocabulary that elegantly avoids competing with the forms of the existing buildings. Set on the Isarco River in the eastern area of Bressanone, next to the 18th-century Seminario Maggiore, one of the city’s landmarks, the Academy is made up of three buildings: Paul Norz Haus, Mühlhaus, and Haupthaus. The latter building is the complex’s main property as well as an important example of contemporary

architecture designed by the local architect Othmar Barth (1927–2010). Scagnol says, “Barth worked for Pier Luigi Nervi for the Rome Olympics of 1960 and received a solid Austrian education. He is a pillar of South Tyrolean architecture and introduced the international inspirations of Kahn and Le Corbusier to the Alpine area by translating them into the local context. He skillfully worked between different design scales (the child of carpenters, he often also designed the furnishings himself for his projects). He managed to exalt, without camouflaging, the expressiveness of common materials such as brick and exposed concrete, before this approach became popular. This was the case for Haupthaus, the first work of contemporary architecture protected by the province of Bolzano even though it was fiercely opposed when it opened in 1962, mainly because of its contrast with the nearby seminary.” The building has a trapezoid shape to adapt to the form of the land and features several elegant rotations. It was modified by Barth himself several times,

in 1965 and the 1990s, responding to new needs. Multa paucis. Do a lot with a little. Scagnol explains, “In the footsteps of Barth’s concise syntax consisting of light, materials, and geometry, we followed the same approach. After studying the archive materials in depth, we tried to restore the building’s original legibility, situating the complex in a system, and introducing greater fluidity of movement into Haupthaus by creating a new path on the ground floor. We made from scratch a large underground conference room that creates a coherent external public space above it. But in formal terms, we preferred to ‘slip into’ a tribute to the domestic monumentality of Barth’s building, with its pilasters that punctuate something of contemporary architectural order almost in the style of Leon Alberti.” On the ground floor of Haupthaus, the new north-south axis connects the refectory and the new entrance with a new café and informal seating. The 96 rooms located on the upper floors (blue in the Paul Norz Haus and pistachio green in the Mühlhaus) use the original furnishings chosen by Barth. The Finn Juhl armchairs that Barth had used to furnish the common spaces were also restored and reused.

Client: Kardinal Nikolaus Cusanus Akademie Architecture: MoDusArchitects (Sandy Attia, Matteo Scagnol) Haupthaus, Paul Norz Haus, Mühlhaus, underground expansion Landscape design: Kiener Gärtnerei & Gartenbau Structural engineering: 3M Engineering Mechanical engineering: Studio Tecnico Ing. M. Carlini Lighting consulting: Von Lutz Studio Associato Acoustics: Christina Niederstätter (Archacustica) Contractor: CarronBau Windows: Wolf Fenster Wood carpentry: Martini Luciano Lighting: Xal, BEGA Leuchten Restoration: Marson Custom-made furniture: Haupthaus, Kofler, Paul Norz Haus, Mühlhaus, Resch Möbel Kitchens: Winkler Gastro Solution Furnishing: Pedrali, Trias Audio & Video equipment: ACS Data System Signage: Serima Linoleum floor and carpets: Saxl Bodenbeläge Wooden floors: Martini Luciano Stone floors: Porfido ed arte consorzio stabile Tiled floors: Consorzio Heraclia Upholstery & Window coverings: Sedis

Author: Elena Franzoia Photo credits: Gustav Willeit