Kengo Kuma has paired up with Studio d`Architettura Martino Pedrozzi to develop a two-phase addition to La Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), an institute of higher-education in applied science located in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. The proposal intends to overcome an existing urban barrier of an expansive railway system to link the university to the city of Mendrisio, utilizing a "skywalk" as well as a large underpass. Because accessibility and movement are at the core of the building's design, the new addition is a fusion of infrastructure as well as artificial landscape.
The proposal for the Speirs Locks Student Campus masterplan by Stallan-Brand seeks to integrate existing structures of merit and to introduce new public spaces around them. The retention of an old glue factory as a gallery and historic walls capture the site’s industrial past. The retention of an existing ornate brick wall, once the ground floor of the City Council Cleansing Department, is used to define a new public space, creating a unique arrival and provide the adjacent studio spaces with an appropriate external display space. More images and architects' description after the break.