Mario Botta Swiss, b. 01/04/1943

Born on April 1st, 1943, in Mendrisio, Ticino, he received his education in Lugano, Milan, and Venice, where he graduated in architecture from the IUAV in 1969 under the guidance of Carlo Scarpa and Giuseppe Mazzariol. After opening his first studio in Lugano in 1970, he began an intense professional activity that led him to design works in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. His internationally acclaimed architecture ranges from single-family homes to schools, museums, libraries, religious buildings, and public spaces. Among his most notable projects are the Tinguely Museum in Basel, the Watari-um Gallery in Tokyo, the MART in Rovereto, the Cathedral in Évry, the Campari headquarters in Sesto San Giovanni, and the renovation of La Scala in Milan.

Alongside his professional work, he has always maintained a strong commitment to teaching. He is one of the founders of the Academy of Architecture at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Mendrisio, where he taught until 2018 and served twice as Director. In 2019, he was named Professor Emeritus. He has held courses and lectures across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Latin America, contributing to the dissemination of contemporary architectural culture.

Since 2006, he has served as president of the jury for the Swiss Architectural Award and, since 2016, as president of the exhibition commission of the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. He has curated major exhibitions dedicated to figures such as Carlo Scarpa, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Titian, and Giacomo Balla. Active also in the field of design, since 1980 he has collaborated with companies such as Alias, Artemide, Riva 1920, and Lalique. He has also created stage designs for Swiss theaters, including the Zurich Opera House and the Basel City Theater.

His work, the recipient of numerous awards and the subject of many exhibitions, is characterized by a deep reflection on space, light, material, and the dialogue between architecture and context.