Riva San Vitale Municipal School Centre

Aurelio Galfetti, Flora Ruchat-Roncati and Ivo Trümpy, 1964-73
Restoration by Bardelli Moranda Padlina Architetti Associati, 2023

The municipal school centre of Riva San Vitale, designed in the 1960s and 70s by the newly graduated architects Galfetti, Ruchat and Trümpy, is certainly one of the most interesting examples of post-war school buildings in Ticino.

The project tackles the delicate subject of restoring Modernist architecture with an attitude of respect for an architectural structure of great value. Restoring this type of architecture means repairing the building elements (façades crack, reinforcing bars rust, roofs leak, window frames no longer close), while at the same time adapting the buildings as far as possible to today's needs and regulations.

While the deteriorated exposed reinforced-concrete parts are treated locally, many original elements (a good part of the window frames and finishes) have to be replaced with new elements similar to the originals.