Gymnasium

Luigi Snozzi, 1981 - 1984

The gymnasium designed by Luigi Snozzi for Monte Carasso (1981–1984) was conceived as an integral part of the larger redevelopment project for the town's historic center: rather than imposing itself, the building integrates into the existing topography and urban fabric, helping to create connections between the village fabric and the new square/polo center designed by Snozzi himself.
The building presents itself as a linear and compact volume, largely lowered below street level and partially underground in some areas, a solution that reduces visual obstruction and allows for a dialogue between the public spaces (square/accesses) and the internal sports functions. The gymnasium includes a large exercise room and service/storage spaces (often referred to in the project as "municipal storage areas"), organized in relation to the terrain and the access routes to the town center.
Materially, the work emphasizes the use of essential structures and finishes—concrete and surfaces treated with formal rigor—consistent with Snozzi's sober, rationalist language. Attention to urban integration (orientation, levels, and routes) ensures that the building "serves the town without being an obstacle," embodying the idea of a public architecture that reorganizes collective space rather than asserting its iconic presence.