Botta, Mario (1943– )

Swiss architect. Working mostly in Switzerland, and mainly on small-scale projects, he has acquired an international reputation for highly original designs that skilfully combine modernism and regional traditions.

Early work He began by designing mostly single-family houses, often characterized by his strong sense of order and clarity, and also by his sensitivity to the natural environment and local architectural traditions. An early success on a larger scale was a school at Morbio Inferiore, Switzerland (1977), a design which combines highly abstract forms with an efficient and comfortable working environment. Gradually his designs grew more complex, exploiting asymmetrical designs, emphatic diagonals, and bold colours.

Training Botta was born in Mendrisio in the canton of Trisio, near the Italian border. He studied technical drawing in Lugano, and then in Milan, Italy, and later studied architecture at the University of Venice. He briefly worked with the French architect Le Corbusier in 1965 and the US architect Louis Kahn in 1969, both of whom were strong influences on his early works.

Later work As his reputation grew, Botta received commissions for larger works, projects which allowed him to respond to developed urban environments – one of his central concerns is how a building relates to a specific environment, natural or built. These commissions include the Administration Building, Staatsbank, Fribourg, Switzerland (1977–79); the Bank of Gothard Offices, Lugano, Switzerland (1982); Evry Cathedral, France (1988–94); and the Art Museum, Tokyo (1990). He continued to design single-family houses, his most widely praised being the Casa Rotunda at Stabio (1980), a brick-built cylinder punctuated with broad vertical and horizontal openings.