Franklin University Switzerland Lugano Campus Building, FUS Swiss Architecture, Architect Design Images

Franklin University Switzerland Lugano student campus

22 Jun 2021

Franklin University Switzerland Lugano Campus News

Architect: Flaviano Capriotti Architetti, Italy

Location: Via Ponte Tresa 29, 6924 Sorengo, Switzerland

Franklin University Switzerland in Lugano unveils the project for its new student campus

A new architecture that aims to share knowledge, experience and expertise, reinterpreting the boundaries between learning and community. Designed by Italian studio Flaviano Capriotti Architetti, the new campus reflects the holistic approach of the university institution.

Sorengo (Lugano), Switzerland | Unveiled the design for the new campus at Franklin University Switzerland (FUS), Lugano, due for completion in spring 2022. An architecture, designed by Italian studio Flaviano Capriotti Architetti, that aims to share knowledge, experience and expertise: a space where students and the wider community can come together.

Franklin’s holistic approach to learning can be seen in the permeable architecture that is open to the urban context: acting as an evocative and distinctive new landmark and providing the community with public spaces. The building is characterised by two distinct architectonic blocks which are linked by their different perspectives, with one being a communal and educational space and one designed for university accommodation.

The public-use building stands out for its permeable architecture and, almost as if to assert the purpose of the building, semi-transparent surfaces hint at the interiors within and invite students and the wider community to discover and interact. A glowing light in the auditorium indicates activity within to the outside, turning the building into a dynamic space that speaks to the surrounding urban setting. Photovoltaic plates clad the volume: it’s the first photovoltaic system in Europe to be fitted with components that follow the orientation of the sun.

The university accommodation section rests on the main block. Its pigmented and patterned concrete surfaces evoke the colour and texture of the surrounding alpine landscape and at the same time guarantee greater privacy. The finishing touch of the design is the campus gardens. Created by Hortensia Garden Design, they offer students and professors a communal space to enjoy the benefits of being able to bathe in nature.

Founded in Sorengo (Lugano) in 1969 and offering 17 Bachelor’s degree courses and 5 Master’s degree courses to almost 300 students from over 50 countries, Franklin University Switzerland (FUS) is a university institution that provides an American-style education. In a bid to continually grow and increase student numbers, the University decided to extend one of its accommodation buildings, “Campus 3”, and has commissioned Milanese studio Flaviano Capriotti Architetti for the project. The new section will cover a range of functions, including 30 residential units, educational spaces, offices, a fitness area and underground parking.

As a cradle of knowledge and a temple of learning, Franklin University Switzerland offers interdisciplinary and experiential learning, with the academic journey at the centre of its curriculum. As well as pedagogy, this journey also involves experiential activity and the sharing of the everyday. As such, the campus areas and student accommodation are designed to encourage continuous development and professional but also human and personal growth, which is promoted through the act of sharing, exchange and debate.

THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES

Tied in with the surrounding landscape, the Ticino Alps and Lake Lugano, the new student residence contains a number of different functions, resulting in independent but interconnected spaces.

The public space is a light building with a characteristic curvy and organic shape. Built using glazed, semi-transparent U-glass, its all-embracing inclusive nature announces the desire to become a reference point for the community and a meeting point for the wider town, not just an educational institution.

The public-use building stands like a beacon of light within the overall complex. Clad with an orientable system of white photovoltaic plates, which has been developed in collaboration with SUPSI (the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland) and its Department of Environment, Constructions and Design, the Franklin campus building features the first photovoltaic system in Europe to be fitted with components that follow the orientation of the sun. This mechanism makes the building more sustainable from an environmental point of view and simultaneously provides shading within the spaces, for greater thermal and visual comfort.

THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

Private and withdrawn, the student accommodation building sits harmoniously within the urban context, creating a solid facade onto the street. This is dotted with identical windows that occasionally differ in size but are arranged in a precise, grid-like manner.

A linear and continuous pattern evokes the layers of the pages in a book. An emblem of culture and communication, the book symbolically impacts the surrounding alpine landscape and reinterprets this onto the facade of the university building. The student residence is connected to the previous structure built on the area and forms the original C-shaped court, with open walkways overlooking a private internal garden.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

A space to enjoy the beneficial effects of nature and bathe in luxuriant local flora. Designed by Hortensia Design Garden, the new campus gardens have been created to provide a pleasant and regenerative space where students and professors can relax and take a break out of their everyday activities.

The path through the garden is lined with tress and shrubs and “Garden Rooms” have been added throughout: mini zones entirely surrounded by plants where the benefits of nature can be fully enjoyed and the senses can be enticed by the garden’s many scents, colours and sounds. Particular attention has been paid to the seasonality of plants, making it possible to bathe in the benefits of nature all year round.

Franklin University Switzerland Lugano Campus images / information received 210621

Location: Via Ponte Tresa 29, 6924 Sorengo, Switzerland, central Europe

Phone: +41 91 985 22 60