Residential complex “NIZZA PARADISE”

By Caterina Testa - 13 June 2019

The Swiss city of Lugano lies along the south and west banks of the lake of the same name, its suburbs reaching northwards towards the Swiss valleys. The whole city, especially the southwest neighborhoods, is built on highly articulated complex terrain. The waterfront on the edge of the lake is separated into an east and west side by a mainly rocky peninsular projecting into the lake; the accessible areas of this strip of land are also part of the built landscape. The Nizza Paradise residence rises on the lower slopes of Mount San Salvatore as it descends to the southern edge of the lake. Its design by architect Mino Caggiula is the result of a painstaking analysis of the very special topography, its contours, sightlines, natural and urban landscape, and prevailing traffic and pedestrian flows. It became immediately apparent that the contours resembled the abstract image of a reclining woman. The delicately curving lines elicit a sense of calm while the straight lines lend a dynamic force. Both these characteristics are echoed in the architecture, which clearly evokes the vertically stacked level curves reaching out in various directions. Building a scale model of the project right from the outset facilitated the study of this extraordinary site, giving a clear indication of the building’s footprint and orientation. The program pivots around three focal points. The first is the perspective across the Guidino Park towards Gandria to the east of the city center, with views stretching almost 35 km down the lake. The second is the view over the bay around which Lugano has grown up, while the third aspect is the tree-clad slopes of Mount San Salvatore to the south. The residence is a 45,000 m3 volume with a surface area of some 7,000 sq. m. Despite its size, the cantilevering terraces allow it to slip effortlessly into context, confirming the principle that place should design architecture. The pathway leading into the property follows the open space between...