Introduction to the USI-SUPSI Campus Project in Viganello

The new campus of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), renamed Campus Est, is located in Lugano on the grounds of the former Campari area, near the USI Campus Ovest, in a vast central area of the city, on the left bank of the Cassarate river. It represents one of the major urban planning changes in Lugano and straddles the districts of Viganello, Molino Nuovo, and Pregassona, within an area already populated by established academic institutions.

The Zenobia project by architects Simone Tocchetti and Luca Pessina from Lugano was chosen through an international design competition held between October 2010 and July 2011. Zenobia represents a high-quality solution both in urban planning and functional terms, enabling the development of the USI and SUPSI with a medium- and long-term perspective, including the creation of various shared spaces, a multipurpose hall, an exhibition area, a cafeteria, and a daycare center.

The new campus opened its doors on 22 March 2021. It houses the Faculty of Informatics and the new Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of the USI, as well as the Department of Innovative Technologies of SUPSI with their research institutes. The proximity of the USI and SUPSI further enhances synergies around a vibrant and dynamic university hub.

With Campus Est, a new way of addressing major urban planning projects was inaugurated in Ticino, aiming to accompany the population and future users in discovering the new building and its activities already during the construction years through constructive communication involving information and mediation. Promoted by the USI, the SUPSI, and the City of Lugano, the accompanying process was conceived as an innovative approach, in line with experiences carried out in major projects abroad and in other regions of Switzerland.

The Project House

The heart of the accompanying process was the Casa di progetto: a small exhibition space to showcase the new campus of the USI and SUPSI. A point of information, meeting, and exchange, the Casa di progetto was a temporary space, regularly updated and animated, open to the city to invite citizens to take a closer look at the building and the university hub.

A virtual tour is always possible: the Casa di progetto thus serves as a kind of pavilion open to the city, its citizens, and as a journal to retrace the history of Lugano and the university hub that have grown and continue to strengthen together.

Guided walks

During the presence of the Casa di progetto on the campus, moments of meeting and discussion were organized, including guided walks around the construction site to take a closer look at the project and the context in which it was situated. At the end of the walks, participants were offered a visit to the Casa di progetto and a brief concluding activity.