Bianchi house

The house I chose for this project was the Bianchi House that is located in Riva San Vitale, Ticino, Switzerland. This house was designed by Mario Botta in 1972 and the clients were friends of his that wanted a cost-effective house embedded in nature for them and their two children. The first thing that stood out to me about this house was the location, the house overlooks Lake Lugano, has a view of the mountains, and is close to the border of Italy. At this location the temperature is never too hot or too cold, with the temperature in winter in the 40s and in summer in the 80s. Botta designed the house quite modernly for the 70s with the house being mostly dull colors, white, black, and grey, but with color accents with the bridge red and the staircase yellow. Although it is a five floor house, it is not very large, but Botta used the space very well. The middle three floors are where most of the living is done and is laid out to where the staircase spirals through the center of the house, one bedroom is on the third floor, another on the second, and the first floor where the living room is. The living room’s tall ceiling goes up through the three floors which brings in natural light and makes the house feel larger. Each floor has a different cut out where a window shows a different ‘scene’ of nature.