Livio Vacchini«Masterpieces»

The editorial idea

As part of the project to disseminate Livio Vacchini’s work and thought, Caryatide is now working on an English edition of «Capolavori». After «Livio Vacchini. Disegni/Dessins/Drawings» (2017) and the new French edition (2023) of the only book the Ticino architect wrote, this publication will finally reach English-speaking public. The book will appear in the series «Fondamenta», aimed at offering fundamental texts on architectural culture.

«Capolavori-Chefs-d’oeuvre» is the small (and huge) milestone, full of meaning and poetry, that Livio Vacchini wrote in 2006 just before his death. The book is a fundamental episode in Ticino and international architectural culture. It brings together the twelve buildings that Vacchini considered to be true masterpieces, emblems and paradigms of architectural thought. The book is the result of a dialogue between Livio Vacchini and Roberto Masiero (his friend and architectural historian). The starting question of their exchanges was: «Which works made you see clearly the problems of architecture that you then tried to solve in your works?» In answering, Vacchini retraced his architectural autobiography, explaining the role each of the twelve masterpieces had in the building of his architectural thought. His words were then transcribed and transformed into texts.

«The project is a mental question», Livio used to say, a «synthesis between a theoretical and a technical-constructive dimension».

Livio Vacchini. Biography

Livio Vacchini (1933-2007) was born in Locarno, Switzerland, and graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1958. After some professional experience in Stockholm and Paris, he worked with Luigi Snozzi from 1961 to 1971. In 1969, he opened his own architectural practice. From 1995 to 2001, he worked between Basel and Locarno, in collaboration with the architect Silvia Gmür. In 1976 he was a visiting professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and in 1982 at the Faculty of Architecture in Milan. From 1980 to 1985, he was a member of the Ticino Commission for the Protection of Historic Monuments. His main works include: Vacchini House at Costa-Tenero Contra (1992), Locarno post office building (1995), Nancy School of Architecture (1995), Losone Sports Hall (1997), Piazza del Sole in Bellinzona (1999), Locarno Ferriera (2003), Windisch-Mülimatt Sports Hall (2005-2010) and the cantonal waste-to-energy plant in Giubiasco (completed 2010). Among so many important projects that bear witness to and pass on his thinking and teaching, «Capolavori- Chefs-d’oeuvre» is Vacchini’s only written legacy. This is the reason why we aim at making it known to the wider audience.

Support this project !

We firmly believe in the importance of this book, which was first published in French in 2006 and in Italian in 2007. The Italian version was republished in 2017, while the French version was out of print until 2023. For this reason, it was deemed necessary, on the one hand, to reissue the French edition with the addition of an essay by Roberto Masiero and, on the other, to offer a previously unpublished edition in English. Vacchini’s work is well known throughout Europe, and an English version of ’Masterpieces’ will be appreciated by an international audience. We think it is very important that Vacchini’s thinking should be reflected in this book, which deals with fundamental architectural issues.

Your support will make this project possible! We’re working hard to bring the book to you in early 2025!

Rewards for donations include the book «Livio Vacchini. Disegni / Dessins / Drawings» by Claudia Mion and Giacomo Ortalli (Éditions Cosa Mentale, 2017) and a limited selection of 40 cm x 60 cm Studio Vacchini screenprints (Lézard Graphique sérigraphe).