Mario Botta

This books presents a thorough account of the thirty-five year career of architect Mario Botta, one of the most important members of the Swiss 'Ticenese School'. Thirty-three buildings, three stage sets and numerous designed objects are presented chronologically, in an attempt to track the formation of an architectual language that is distinct and personal, yet universally recognized and admired. Each project is introduced by an overall review of the piece, placing it in context. Born in Switzerland in 1943, Botta worked in Le Corbusier's office in 1965 and with Louis Kahn in 1969. His buildings are defined by their attention to topographical conditions, regionalist sensibilities, preference for clear architectural types, desire for geometric order and emphasis on craftsmanship. Botta's attitude is expressed above all in a series of refined single-family houses, from the house in Stabio, strongly reminiscent of Le Corbusier, to the independent buildings at Cadenazzo and Riva San Vitale, and the mannered, elegantly striped house at Ligornetto. With the administration building for the Staatsbank in Fribourg, Botta began his involvement with the problems of integrating a new building with an existing urban fabric. Botta still lives and practises in Switzerland.