Mario Botta

Born in Mendrisio in 1943, Mario Botta attended the Liceo Artistico (High School) in Milan and graduated in architecture from IUAV, Venice in 1969. During his time in Venice, Botta met Luis Kahn and worked at Le Corbusier. Strongly influenced by two great masters, his design style evolved into pure, geometric and imposing forms. Brick is a key material in his body of work, used as cladding to accentuate the severity of his designs. All his work has a spiritual connotation, through which he demonstrates the importance of architecture as a means of expression of human memory. In 1969 he opened his own architectural practice in Mendrisio, beginning a career that would lead to him creating significant, exemplary work, including several religious buildings. The 1970s saw the beginning of his teaching career and research work, with conferences, seminars and courses in Italy and overseas. He is a visiting lecturer at the Ecole Polytechnique ....

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