Mario Botta Biography
Mario Botta (Mendrisio, 1 April 1943) is a Swiss architect. His architecture, greatly influenced by Le Corbusier, Carlo Scarpa and Louis Kahn, is characterized by notable pragmatism and the creation of a strong and geometric architectural space, often clad in terracotta bricks built with careful design of the architectural detail. The use of brick and stone and the buildings made up of pure volumes, cut and perforated by large cracks are characteristic of his architecture, including the truncated cylinder buildings which found their first creation in the church of San Giovanni Battista in Mogno and the subsequent development in the Cathedral of Évry, near Paris. Starting from the first constructions of single-family houses in the Canton of Ticino, his work has encompassed many building typologies: schools, banks, administrative buildings, libraries, museums and places of worship. Since the beginning of his career, his work has been recognized and awarded internationally, as well as being featured in numerous exhibitions and publications. Considered a representative of what is sometimes called the Ticino school of architecture, in 1996 he was among the founders of the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture, where he still teaches and has held the position of director.
