SUPSI looks towards sustainability

On December 11, SUPSI was awarded the Espace Suisse 2021 prize for its logistical approach in the construction of its new university campus in Mendrisio, close to the railway station and opened earlier this year. The new campus lays the foundations for an overall renovation of the surrounding area.

Tell us what Espace Suisse is all about and what led to the recent decision to award the 2021 edition of the prize to SUPSI?

«Espace Suisse is an organization that deals with land management as well as planning in all aspects, such as how the territory is organized, what it is used for, and of course the links planning has with the development of mobility.

The award, which was given for the first time in 1985 and is awarded every two years, has undergone an evolution: in the first years, classical planning projects or operations were awarded; in more recent years, however, the question has been how spatial planning can meet the problems faced by society. As part of the working group, and also in the decisions that led to the choice of the winner, we focused on projects that would also have an impact on mobility management. This led to the choice of awarding the prize to SUPSI, because of its strategic choices in the development of the Mendrisio campus».

Just how important and effective is it for a university facility to be in the immediate vicinity of a major train hub?

«It is one of the most intelligent and rational ways to reduce the demand for mobility, especially private mobility. You can try to influence the evolution of the way people move in a number of ways, such as by enhancing public transportation, limiting private transportation, and trying to work on people’s habits by motivating them with various kinds of incentives to move more rationally. But the smartest way is certainly to reduce the need for travel at source. And it is here that the choice of locating «big traffic generators» - meaning places that move hundreds or thousands of people - near those transport junctions is very valid».

Do you believe there is little communication between public or private agencies and transportation providers, to the disadvantage of more consistent scheduling and less congested traffic?

«Probably yes, but perhaps the issue should be sought further upstream. The way we have moved in the past few decades in the field of school buildings, for instance, or other big traffic generators, the location choice made by private companies, as well as by the public body, is dictated by many factors: the availability of land, the costs involved, the proximity to other types of structures, etc... It is only recently that we have realized that these factors are indeed important, but also the proximity to a public transport hub can offer great advantages, both to the company or the institution itself, and to its visitors, who every day have easier and shorter routes to make».

Do you think that the example of this campus will be adopted by other cities in Ticino? For example, I’m thinking of Lugano, a university hub.

«I believe and hope so. In fact, SUPSI itself is planning to build some of its new facilities right near the Lugano station. Planning in that location is a very long process because it is not easy, but the University School plans to build facilities there as well. Not least, I believe that another great opportunity could be given to Bellinzona on the grounds where today the Swiss Federal Railways’ workshops are located, which will be transferred to another location, releasing very important land on which public facilities could be built. The hope is that someone will be able to use this opportunity».

Franco Gervasoni, Director General of SUPSI, said in his speech during the prize giving that buildings like this are in a position to upgrade the area. In which way do you think they can effectively do so?

«In two ways I would argue. First and foremost, from an architectural/aesthetic point of view. Furthermore, the installation of such an important structure creates the need for the requalification of an area within the public institution itself. In reality, the new SUPSI headquarters in Mendrisio has been followed by a requalification - partially for the moment - of the Railway Station area and there are plans to continue to do so also for the entire road that runs on the side of the town, which is today a road with quite heavy traffic and not especially suitable from an urban point of view. I do believe that in this case there is considerable room for improvement that the city wants to seize. So, a single building, which is certainly important, can induce a positive process where a whole sector can be clearly improved».

Who were the other candidates?

«We reviewed several urban redevelopment projects, more modest in intention but equally good in quality. I’m not giving names because it could be that projects not awarded in this edition could be awarded in the next ones. We analyze projects that are very diverse in type, but then again, maybe this is just the image of a Canton that has evolved very rapidly in recent decades.»