Mario Botta

Swiss architect influenced by Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. For this reason his architectural vocabulary evolved to design pure imposing geometric forms.

Mario Botta at the Swiss Embassy in New Delhi in 2010.
Mario Botta at the Swiss Embassy, in New Delhi, in 2010

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Botta#/media/File:MarioBotta.JPG


About his life

Born in Mendrisio in 1943Mario Botta graduated with a degree in architecture from IUAV in Venice, where he met and started working with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. He designed his first buildings at age 16, a two-family house at Morbio Superiore in Ticino. While the arrangements of spaces in this structure is inconsistent, its relationship to its site, separation of living from service spaces, and deep window recesses echo of what would become his stark, strong, towering style.

Bambi Lazzati and the architecht Mario Botta.
Bambi Lazzati and the architecht Mario Botta

image source:https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/979d6a24-d26d-454b-b046-26cc57cd4787 by Premio Chiara

What are Botta’s style main features ?

Brick is a key material in his designs, used as a covering to underline the severity of the volumes he designs.
Every one of his works is covered with a mantle of sacredness, through which he demonstrates the importance of architecture as a means of expression of human memory.

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, NC, 2000-2009.
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, NC, 2000-2009

image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/8567bf29-c75c-4561-a5c8-11990396a008 by James Willamor

Mario Botta, Restaurant for Monte Generoso, an Alpine mountain located at the border between Switzerland and Italy.
Mario Botta, Restaurant for Monte Generoso, an Alpine mountain located at the border between Switzerland and Italy.

image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/81b2f205-87a5-4473-8f89-288428190e64 by travelmemo.com

His designs tend to include a strong sense of geometry, often being based on very simple shapes, yet creating unique volumes of space. His buildings are often made of brick, yet his use of material is wide, varied, and often unique.

San Giovanni Battista, Mogno
San Giovanni Battista, Mogno (by Mario Botta)

images source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/8a504560-bc65-41d6-8341-5cc2a714bc5c by mabi2000

San Giovanni Battista, Mogno, seen from the inside.
San Giovanni Battista, Mogno (by Mario Botta)

images source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/55814d37-89f1-4088-a677-46c97b3332db by Time.Captured.

What are his most famous works?

  • Granato Chapel, Penkenjoch, Zillertal (Austria), 2013
  • Hotel Twelve at Hengshan, Shanghai (China), 2012
  • Library for Tsinghua University, Beijing (China), 2011
  • Ethniki” National Insurance Company, Athens (Greece), 2006
  • Bergoase Wellness Centre, Arosa (Switzerland), 2006
  • New parish church of Santo Volto, Turin (Italy), 2006
  • New Casino, Campione d’Italia (Italy), 2006
  • Renovation of Teatro alla Scala, Milan (Italy), 2004
  • Church, Seriate (Italy), 2004
  • Torre Kyobo, Seoul (South Korea), 2003
  • MART museum of modern and contemporary art of Trento and Rovereto (Italy), 2002
  • Pilotta garden, redevelopment of the Pilotta district, Parma (Italy), 2001
  • Noah’s Ark Sculpture Garden, Jerusalem (Israel), 2001
  • Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Centre, Tel Aviv (Israel), 1998
  • Jean Tinguely Museum, Basel (Switzerland), 1996
  •  SFMOMA Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco (USA), 1995
  •  Beato Odorico Church, Pordenone (Italy), 1992
  •  Library of the Cappuccini Monastery in Lugano (Switzerland), 1979
Dortmund Central Library
Dortmund Central Library- Mario Botta 1998-99. City :Max-Von-Der-Grün-Platz 

Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/4afd9a0f-1505-44d7-8369-651c1cc59b0d by corno.fulgur75

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco

Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/f5976bb5-8f03-49bf-8149-0cd56212fee1

Évry Cathedral- Roman Catholic church located in the new town of Évry (Essonne), France.
Évry Cathedral– Roman Catholic church located in the new town of Évry (Essonne), France.

Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/1f0c715e-f370-482d-a040-0cb1fe67a56d by tongeron91


Info sources:

http://www.archdaily.com/tag/mario-botta

 http://www.floornature.com/mario-botta-5/

http://www.floornature.com/mario-botta-5/

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Botta

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