NUOVA OFFICINA E DEPOSITO FART SA A RIAZZINO, LOCARNO – SWITZERLAND, 2021

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
2ND PRIZE 

WE START WITH THE MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES.

THE CONCEPT OF FLOW BECOMES A DEFINING ELEMENT OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT, ACTING AS A LINK BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE. FUNCTIONALITY, OPERABILITY, AND OPTIMIZATION OF SPACES AND FLOWS SHAPE THE PROJECT’S TERRITORIAL RESPONSE.

THE WORKSHOP AND STORAGE LANES ARE DESIGNED AS A LARGE DOUBLE STEEL HANGAR, WITH STRUCTURAL SPANS SIZED TO ENSURE FLUID VEHICLE STORAGE, ENTRY, AND EXIT OPERATIONS, WHILE MAINTAINING CONSTRUCTION SIMPLICITY AND COST CONTROL. ON THE TWO SHORT SIDES ARE TWO FUNCTIONAL CONCRETE CORES, WHICH CONTAIN THE REST OF THE PROGRAM AND STABILIZE THE STRUCTURE, SUPPORTING THE METAL TRUSSES THAT SUSPEND THE ROOF. THESE BEAMS ALSO DEFINE A TERRACE THAT ACCOMMODATES SHEDS FOR LIGHTING THE WORKSHOP, TECHNICAL AREAS, AND FUTURE EXPANSIONS WITHOUT AFFECTING THE MAIN STRUCTURE.

THE SYSTEM GENERATES FOUR ROUNDED CORNERS THAT, IN ADDITION TO DEFINING PEDESTRIAN ACCESS, CREATE SAFE WAITING AREAS, PROTECTED FROM CIRCULAR FLOW OF VEHICLE TRAFFIC. THE TWO COMPACT LATERAL CORES, ORIENTED TOWARD THE CANTONAL ROAD AND THE RAILWAY, INTRODUCE VERTICALITY AND URBAN PRESENCE, WHILE THE LARGE HORIZONTAL VOLUME OF THE LANES REMAINS PERMEABLE, SHAPED BY THE DAILY MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES.

THE BUILDING, TRACED PERPENDICULAR TO THE CANTONAL ROAD, MAINTAINS A VISUAL PERMEABILITY BETWEEN THE PLAIN AND THE MOUNTAINS, RESPONDING TO THE TERRITORIAL LOGIC: ALLOWING PEOPLE, EVEN AT WORK, TO GLIMPSE A FIELD, A RIVER, A LAKE, OR A MOUNTAIN. ULTIMATELY, AS IF SEEN THROUGH THE WINDOW OF A BUS.

Collaborators: Alessia Rapetti
Team: Borlini & Zanini, Visani Rusconi Talleri, Elettroconsulenze Solcà
Images: © Filippo Bolognese