In 2023, we visited Mario Botta in his studio in Mendrisio on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
Driven by my interest in architecture, I was curious to meet someone whose work has shaped spaces far beyond Switzerland. The studio felt calm and precise a place where ideas are developed with clarity and time.
What remained was a sense that architecture, for him, is less about form and more about creating lasting relationships between people, space, and memory.
Portrait of Mario Botta on his 80th birthday, featuring his unmistakable pencil and glasses in Mendrisio. During our visit, one word came immediately to mind: creation. Creators transform the invisible into the visible. Creation is not only about building. It is about seeing what does not exist. Photography by Carmine Castelli
