- Project: Franklin University Switzerland Campus Expansion
- Architect: Flaviano Capriotti Architetti
- Location: Switzerland, Sorengo, Lugano
- Year: 2024
Rethinking Education and Community
The Franklin University Switzerland Campus Expansion in Sorengo, Lugano, designed by Flaviano Capriotti Architetti, redefines the relationship between education, community, and the environment. Conceived as an evocative and permeable architecture, the project emphasizes openness, transparency, and accessibility, offering students and the local community a shared space for study, knowledge exchange, and social life.
Program and Layout
The new campus wing incorporates 29 student residences, classrooms, multifunctional halls, a fitness center, and underground parking. Organized into two architectural volumes, the design balances openness and privacy:
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A glass volume with fluid, organic forms houses communal, educational, and social spaces including the Student’s Centre and an open-air auditorium.
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A more introverted residential block in pigmented reinforced concrete accommodates living quarters, framing a private internal garden and linking seamlessly to existing campus buildings.
Together, the two volumes define a central terraced courtyard garden, conceived as a Mediterranean landscape and outdoor meeting space for students and visitors.
Symbolism and Materiality
Capriotti’s design integrates strong narrative elements, drawing on the symbol of the book as knowledge:
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Glass volumes symbolize the permeability of culture—fluid, luminous, and open.
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Reinforced concrete façades, pigmented in terracotta tones and cast in textured formwork, echo the layered pages of a book.
Windows are arranged in a precise grid, occasionally varying in size, enhancing the façade’s rhythm while grounding the building in the Alpine landscape of Ticino and Lake Lugano.
Innovation: Photovoltaic Louvres
A central feature of the project is its energy efficiency and sustainability strategy. The cylindrical glass volume is clad with adjustable photovoltaic louvres, developed with the SUPSI Department of Environment Constructions and Design. These movable components, guided by georeferenced software, tilt according to the sun’s path, providing shading, thermal comfort, and maximized renewable energy production.
Unlike static photovoltaic systems, this Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) solution merges seamlessly into the architectural design, creating a dynamic façade that is both functional and expressive.
Gardens and Natural Integration
The expansion incorporates gardens by Hortensia Garden Design, inspired by the alpine and Mediterranean landscapes of the region. Terraced slopes planted with seasonal, naturalized species offer year-round sensory experiences. Meditation areas, with seating made from rough Arzo quarry stone, invite students and visitors to pause, connect with nature, and enjoy the restorative qualities of the landscape.
With its blend of transparent glass, narrative concrete, sustainable technologies, and natural gardens, the Franklin University Switzerland Campus Expansion is more than an academic facility—it is a landmark of shared knowledge and ecological sensitivity. Capriotti’s design embodies the university’s mission, creating a campus that is at once functional, symbolic, and deeply integrated into its cultural and natural setting.
