St. Benedict's Chapel

Today we made the drive to Sumvitg, Switzerland to see St. Benedict's Chapel completed by architect Peter Zumthor in 1989. Sumvitg is a small town that is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It is about a two and a half hour drive through the Swiss Alps. It is a small, simple chapel but it is also very beautiful. The interior is almost completely wood. The floor is slightly raised with a reveal along the edge of chapel. The structure is exposed throughout. A nickname for this church is leaf chapel due to its shape. I am glad we were able to see this chapel even if we couldn't see Vals because it was closed.

Swiss Alps in Sumvitg

I'm not sure where the next trip will be but this weekend will be my last weekend in Europe and it is bittersweet. I hope to travel somewhere.

Monte Tamaro

Today we took a short train ride to Rivera, Switzerland where Monte Tamaro is located. We were going to see a chapel that Mario Botta designed. We had to take an aerial cableway up to the top of the mountain. It was such a long way up. It was a beautiful sight despite the fact it was overcast. Once we got to the top there was so much to see including the Santa Maria degli Angeli Chapel that looked like it was a walkway straight off the mountain.

The detail put into the chapel was exquisite. The siting of the building which was on the side of a hill at the top was perfect and added to the beauty of the building. I am sure on a clear day it would've been a lot better but even overcast it was really nice. There were so many moments that Botta designed that made it special. I really enjoyed my visit there.

Inside the Chapel

Exterior View

We had quite a bit of time at the top so some of us explored around a bit. The peak of Monte Tamaro sits a lot higher from the plateau that the chapel sits so we didn't go up there. It was beautiful though as it was still snow-capped. Without going up higher we were still at an elevation of 5180 feet so almost a mile up. I could tell that the air was thinner as I was out of breath easier. There was also an alpine coaster that was really fun.

Monte Tamaro peak

Later that night we went to an indoor water park called Splash & Spa which was in the town of Rivera. It was so much fun and they had a lot of fun water slides. It was a good way to blow off some steam and have a lot of fun doing it.

Our next trip is to be determined. I may go somewhere this weekend but haven't decided. Next week we might make our trip to Vals and Sumvitg but that is up in the air. Stay tuned.

Day Trip to Zürich

Today we left at the bright and early time of 6:30 to make our way to Zürich. I was excited to see another major city especially one located in Switzerland. On our way there we made a stop in Giornico to see the Museo La Congiunta by architect Peter Märkli. It is a simple building made of concrete with skylights that sits across the river from the small town. It housed a few sculptures. I personally didn't like this building as I don't think it had much to offer. Once we were done there it was time to continue the drive to Zürich.

Museo La Congiunta

The road to Zürich (or anywhere through Switzerland for that matter) is so beautiful. The road traverses the gorgeous, snow-capped Swiss Alps. When I picture Switzerland this is what I imagine. While on this road we had to pass through the Gotthard Road Tunnel which travels underneath the Saint-Gotthard Massif. It is 17 kilometers or 10.5 miles in length and it took us close to 15 minutes to get through. It was an incredible feat of engineering to dig this tunnel underneath the entirety of a mountain range. Later on we passed Lake Luzern which was amazing how the mountains met the lake. Everything about Switzerland is just so beautiful.

Swiss Alps

We finally arrived in Zürich around noontime and our first stop was the Kunsthaus Zürich. This is an art museum built in 1910 by Karl Moser. Hans wanted us to see the Dada exhibit. We had several hours to explore the museum. The exhibits were out there to say the least. The architecture of the building was very nice though. I thoroughly enjoyed what looked to be a newer section of the building. When we were done we met back up with the group and went to our next stop.

Interior of the Kunsthaus Zürich

Right around the corner is the Rechtswissenschaftliches Institut der Universität Zürich which in English is the University of Zürich Law Library. The original building was completed in 1909 by Hermann Fierz. That design left a courtyard open in the middle which the university wanted to replace in 1989. They had architect Santiago Calatrava design an addition which was finished in 2004. It is absolutely beautiful. It is also an engineering feat as it only seems to tie back to the original building at three points. There is so much I really enjoyed from this building and it is one of my favorite buildings I have seen in Europe thus far.

University of Zürich Law Library

Those were the two heavy hitters on the list to see in Zürich. We took some time to seek out other things to see. The first was the Cabaret Voltaire where the Dada movement originated in 1916. It wasn't really anything special but it carried a lot of history. Next, Hans showed us where one of the early study abroad programs for Virginia Tech was housed in 1976. It was on this nondescript street in the basement of a brothel. It was interesting to hear about some of the history of our program. After a good laugh we trekked on.

We made our way to the Bahnhof Stadelhofen which is a train station completed by Calatrava in 1990. It was interesting to see how he tackled the problem of the station being in the side of the hill and on a curved site. It was a beautiful solution in a typical Calatrava fashion. It was pretty enjoyable experience despite the amount people running around. To finish off the trip to Zürich we drove down to the waterfront to see the Centre Le Corbusier which is an exhibition museum that houses some of Corbusier's work. This was also the last building he designed before he died in 1965 with this building being finished in 1967. The interior was closed so we just photographed the exterior. I didn't really understand the building as it just looked like a pavilion.

Bahnhof Stadelhofen

Centre Le Corbusier

Zürich was a nice city but with these day trips it is hard to really explore and appreciate a city fully. It was a long day but I really like what we had to see. Our next trip is Thursday to Monte Tamaro to see a chapel by Mario Botta.

Mario Botta House

Today we got to go on a tour of a Mario Botta designed house right here in Riva San Vitale. It was completed in the 1970s and the primary material is CMUs or cinderblocks. It is a tower structure set back off the road, down an embankment. There is a bridge that connects the house to the street. The house has gorgeous views overlooking Lake Lugano and the rest of the valley.

The interior of the house was very cramped. The central staircase was small and narrow. There was also very little privacy throughout the house. Most rooms had three-quarter height doors and were open to multi-story atrium spaces such as a living room or kitchen. The house was 5 or 6 floors. I am not sure exactly because it was a bit disorienting. This house sure has its quirks and I am not a fan. I wouldn't give it a pass just because an architect such as Botta did it.

Salone del Mobile di Milano

It is currently Design Week in Milan and in addition to the Triennale that is occurring for several months the Salone del Mobile is in town for the week. The Salone del Mobile is a furniture fair which is the largest of its kind in the world. It takes place at FieraMilano which is a fairground space completed in 2005 with over 4.3 million square feet of enclosed space. The site was also used for the world's fair Expo 2015. It is an absolutely humongous space that is impossible to see everything in one day.

Main Walkway

We arrived at the fair at abut 10:30am and Hans gave us 6 hours to run around the grounds. Once we got our tickets we split up. We started off by seeing the furniture and home furnishing sections of the fair which was located in one of the largest buildings on the site. We saw a lot of interesting designs and comfortable couches and chairs. We saw as much as we could and took as many free samples as possible before breaking for lunch time.

An exhibition booth

We crossed over the walkway to the International Bathroom Exhibition. There were many different bathroom fixtures on display here. Some of them reminded me of Cowgill Hall. Others I wanted for myself. There was a bathtub made out of wood that completely smooth and looked like it belonged in a cabin. Some exhibits were completely set up rooms that looked like they were part of a palace, We left for next door to the EuroCucina which is a kitchen exhibition. There were a lot of beautifully designed kitchens, some very modern and others very rustic. Although there was no demonstrations we still got some free samples. We were pretty burned out by this point so we slowly made our way back to the meeting point to leave.

A child's bathroom

Once we got back together with the group we made our way across the highway to a housing complex called Monte Amiata in the Gallaratese district of Milan. The housing complex was designed by architects Carlo Aymonino and Aldo Rossi between 1967 and 1974. Four of the buildings were completed by Aymonino and one by Rossi. The buildings are connected on the exterior by plazas and pedestrian bridges. At the center of the complex is an outdoor amphitheater. A resident of the community gave us a tour of the complex including a view into his apartment. It was a well maintained complex and provided interesting moments. I could see the Corbusier influence on these buildings. With this building, our social housing program was over.

Monte Amiata housing complex

That was it for the day. It was long but worth it. Our next trip is local and involves a Mario Botta designed house in Riva San Vitale on Monday.

Day Trip to Como

Today marked another foray into Italy this time to Como which sits on the Swiss-Italian border and is about 20 minutes away from Riva San Vitale. We got into the city late morning and started our personal tour from Hans. The first building we saw was called Novocomum by architect Giuseppe Terragni in 1929. It is a housing complex that is considered to be some of the first modern architecture in Italy. It had some nice moments but without seeing inside the apartments I couldn't form a real opinion on it.

Novocomum

Next, we walked down to the water of Lake Como to see the Monument of the Fallen which is dedicated to the lives lost in World War I and was also completed by Giuseppe Terragni. It was a beautiful memorial completed in granite and marble. I enjoyed the location and the material and how the whole siting came together. We sat at the lake's edge and ate lunch and basked in the beautiful weather. It was nice not to have to go go go.

Monument of the Fallen

Once lunch was finished, we walked around the lakeside to the Monument to European Resistance which is dedicated to those lost in World War II. It was a series of stairs of varying designs that each led up to its own platform. I didn't wholly understand the significance but it was interesting nonetheless. We continued to walk through the city crossing the old town. It showed quite a bit of Roman influence. We stopped for a brief look into Como Cathedral which was huge. We couldn't go inside so we kept on.

Como Cathedral

The main building we planned to see is the Casa del Fascio completed in 1936 by Giuseppe Terragni. It was designed as an administration building for the National Fascist Party of Italy. It was very rationally designed. The exterior facades hint at what occurs on the interior. We couldn't go inside but we photographed all that we could. We carried on with the tour passing through a couple gates of the medieval walls that protected Como in the 12th century. One was Torre San Vitale and the other was Porta Torre. They were very imposing.

Casa del Fascio

The last stop of the day was the Asilo d'Infanzia Sant' Elia which is a kindergarten that was once again completed by Giuseppe Terragni in 1937. This school is about large open spaces and natural light while connecting the children to the outside. It is a beautiful design and concept. I wish I had anywhere near this many windows in my high school. We finished touring the school fairly quickly since we were all very tired. We called it a day and went home.

Asilo d'Infanzia Sant' Elia

The next day trip will be to Milan to the Salone del Mobile and Triennale on either Saturday or Sunday.

Wherefore Art Thou Verona

In lieu of our Paris trip that Hans cancelled we are going on a series of day trips to architecturally significant sights that are on any architect's bucket list. Today we were taking our day trip to Northern Italy. We started by going to the farthest east place and working our way back. The first stop was Brion Cemetery in San Vito d'Altivole near Treviso, Italy. This cemetery was completed between 1968 and 1978 by Carlo Scarpa. There are so many beautiful details abound in this cemetery. From the tomb for the Brions to the intersecting circles that are so elegantly designed. So much was put into the cemetery for the living despite the fact it is a place for the dead. It is an interesting juxtaposition and a question that arises when designing a cemetery, who is it really for?

Brion Cemetery

Once we finished up at the cemetery we drove about an hour to the city of Vicenza. This city was home to famous architect Andrea Palladio in the 16th century. He is one of the most influential individuals in the history of architecture. His style and proportions are used throughout the architectural world. The first building we went to was the Teatro Olimpico. This is a theatre completed by Palladio in 1585. It is very intricately designed and includes a detailed perspective set piece. It is such an anomaly compared to all the other similar theatres I've seen. From there we walked to Piazza delle Erbe to see the Basilica Palladiana. This is a former palazzo now museum and shops. The original Gothic building is surrounded by loggias of Palladio's design. It was such a large project that it took 65 years to complete. It is an iconic early step of Palladio.

Teatro Olimpico

Basilica Palladiana

The last stop of the day was the city of Verona. While having its own character, Verona's claim to fame is the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. We had one planned stop in the city which was Castelvecchio, a castle from the Middle Ages in the 14th century. Architect Carlo Scarpa completed restorations from 1959 to 1973 which turned the complex into a museum. Scarpa's details are ever present throughout the castle which makes for beautiful moments. We had quite a bit of time here before going on a short walking tour of Verona. It is such a beautiful city and reminds me of a miniature Rome. I wish I had more time here to explore but it was getting late and we still had a two hour drive home.

Interior courtyard at Castelvecchio

Our next day trip is Thursday to Como, Italy which is about 20 minutes away on the Swiss-Italian border.

Jovial Genève

Sunday started off a little later than the previous day. Rebecca and I went to Mass at Basilica of Our Lady of Geneva. It is the main Catholic church of Geneva. It was built in 1857 in the Neo-Gothic style. It is much smaller in size than St. Pierre's but provides a different atmosphere. Also, Mass was in French so add that to the list of languages that I've heard Mass in now. After church was over we went back to the apartment to pick up Hannah and grab some breakfast before tackling the events of the day.

Basilica of Our Lady of Geneva

We had a cluster of buildings we wanted to see on the north side of the lake so we set out. On the way we came across the Church of the Holy Trinity which was like no other church I have ever seen. It was in a giant sphere. It was very beautifully done. It was actually quite impressive. We finally arrived at the building we wanted to see which was JTI Headquarters by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM). The building was located in the business district and it was made up of all glass and steel. A corner of the building was lifted up and cantilevered out and created a courtyard space of sorts. It looked really nice from the outside but seeing as it was both an office building and Sunday, the inside was closed.

Church of the Holy Trinity

JTI Headquarters

We walked up the street to the Palace of Nations which houses the United Nations Office of Geneva. This is the third of four UN buildings that I have seen in some fashion. The others locations are New York, Vienna, and Nairobi. I don't know if you could go inside but we had other things to see. Across the street was home to World Intellectual Property Organization  (WIPO) which had an architecturally significant tower and conference hall. The tower was nice but the hall was a little underwhelming compared to the photos I had seen. We couldn't go inside so we left.

WIPO Headquarters

We made our way over to the Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the city of Geneva which is a large park. We had lunch there and spent some time wandering and basking in the sun and warm weather. They even had some animals to show off. We had a lot of fun just sort of goofing off before we left. From the gardens, we walked up a series of hills to get to an overlook point. We weren't that high up, just under 250 feet above Geneva's elevation but you could see a lot. We were about a mile from the French border and the French Alps loomed over everything. On the other side you could see a lot of Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps. It was a beautiful spot.

At the Botanical Gardens

Overlooking Lake Geneva

We made our way back down to the city center from the overlook after a long walk and decided to have a little fun. We rented a paddle boat for half an hour out on the lake. It was so much fun! The water was so clear and the sky was blue and the weather was great. It was perfect. Once we got done with boat we had sorbet to complete the embrace of the warm weather.

Paddle boating in Lake Geneva

The last stop to see was the Julius Bär Bank by Mario Botta. We tried to see this the day before but our directions were misinformed. Today we found it and knew it was Botta from first glance. It was a tall building clad in a stone rainscreen. I really liked the material choice and thought that building was very cohesive. Obviously, banks on Sundays aren't open so we left.

Mario Botta Bank

Geneva is not a cheap city so it took some time to find something relatively cheap enough for a student's budget. Naturally, we found a pizza place and ate there. It was relaxing to finally be off my feet for awhile. Afterwards we came back to the apartment and called it a night. I really enjoyed Geneva and I am glad I got to visit. Au revoir Genève!

Geneva, The Peace Capital

Today started at the dark and early time of 3am. Rebecca, Hannah, and I had to catch a train at quarter after 4am to Lugano Airport to catch our flight at 7am. The airport was the smallest I had ever seen. It was almost a joke. The flight time was only 35 minutes to get to Geneva, the second largest city in Switzerland. The flight was great though as we flew over the Swiss Alps. They were breathtaking and I actually had chills the entire flight because of how beautiful they were. Once we got to Geneva though we hit the ground running.

Swiss Alps

Once we got to our Airbnb and dropped our stuff off we headed towards the waterfront in search of breakfast. We got some sorely needed coffee and pastries while drawing up the gameplan for the day. We first attempted to go the Grand Theatre of Geneva but it was completely covered in scaffolding so we crossed the street to the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève which is the oldest music school in Switzerland and one of the oldest in Europe. From there, just around the corner at Plainpalais was a weekly flea market. It was cool to walk through and see what the locals had to offer. The park was also playing host to Luna Park, a traveling carnival, so we marked it down to come back when it opened and went on.

Conservatoire de Musique de Genève

The next stop was the Bibliothèque Publique et Universitaire or Library of Geneva. This library dates back to 1559 and is one of the oldest university libraries of Switzerland. The library was nice and showed its age but we mainly used to it to get out of the cold and for the free Wifi. We made the trek up the hill to St. Pierre Cathedral. This church is actually home to the Protestant Church of Geneva and used to be a Roman Catholic church. It is also a hodgepodge of architectural styles and it started in the Romanesque in 1160 before being completed in the Gothic and then having a Neo-Classical facade added much later. The church was pretty bare inside as most of the symbolism used by Catholicism had been rejected. It made the church nicer on the interior. You could also go up into the towers and cupola so we took advantage of the that. There were some gorgeous views of the city, the lake, and both the French and Swiss Alps.

St. Pierre Cathedral

We got a short lunch after the church and went off in search of Immeuble Clarté which is an apartment building completed by Le Corbusier in 1932. It was interesting to see this building as it was the one that led him developing Unité d'habitation (one of which I saw in Marseille). It didn't seem to have the typical Corbu points but it was nice to see all the same. We couldn't go inside so we set off back to the waterfront.

Immeuble Clarté

We walked up and down the waterfront of Lake Geneva for awhile just admiring its beauty. We noticed the world famous Jet d'Eau, a water fountain that expels water up to 459 feet into the air, was not running. We found out that it was closed due to construction work occurring on the walkway out to it. It was so disappointing. We saw the L'horloge fleurie which is the second largest flower in the world. The waterfront is beautiful area to just wander around.

L'horloge fleurie

We were exhausted since we had been going nonstop for about 16 hours so we went to the apartment to nap before dinner. We found this reasonably priced chicken place that ended up being delicious. To end the night we walked around Luna Park for bit before heading off to bed.

Hiking Monte San Giorgio

Today was our first full day back in Riva San Vitale. I couldn't spend it sitting around the Villa all day especially after a 10 hour bus ride yesterday so Rebecca and I decided to go on a hike. Riva San Vitale and the neighboring town of Capolago sit an elevation of 896 feet between two mountains. The two mountains are Monte San Giorgio and Monte Generoso. Since it was my first time hiking in awhile and in the Swiss Alps we went with the easier of the two, San Giorgio.

Monte San Giorgio

We started our trek at 1pm. We had to walk across town (only 5-10 minutes) to get to the start of the trail. Just getting to that point is a bit of a workout. The path was pretty steep at times and had a number of switchbacks. A couple times it leveled out and fooled us into thinking we were nearing the top only for it to get really steep. We knew we were nearing the top when we reached a meadow and saw little elevation left.

To the top!

We finally made it to the top of Monte San Giorgio at 3:20pm which isn't a bad time considering we took our time going up. It was overcast so the sun wasn't beating down on us but we still sweat quite a bit. The elevation at the top is 3,599 feet which means we climbed 2,703 feet or over half a mile up. The views were absolutely breathtaking from the top and it was totally worth hiking up. We spent half an hour or so at the top just snacking and taking photos before realizing we should leave if we wanted dinner.

View from the top

We started our descent at 4pm and went down the same path we came up. We made it to the base at 5:40pm. All in all it was a very successful trip and it was completed with very minor injuries but we both made it out alive! We rewarded ourselves with gelato at a local shop before heading back to the Villa. It was such an adventure and now I can check hiking the Swiss Alps off my bucket list!

Rebecca and me

One Day in Graz

It was time to leave Vienna to make our way to Graz. We made a short stop in the town of Mürzzuschlag to see the Kunsthaus Muerz. This art museum is in a former church which a structure built around it. The church is preserved but also modernized a bit. The updated structure was completed in 1991 by architects Konrad Frey and Andreas Ortner while the original church dates to 1657. It was an interesting use of adapting and repurposing while also seeing a unique structuring system.

Kunsthaus Muerz

After a short drive we made it to Graz which is the second largest city in Austria. We got to our hotel and then Hans took us on a walking tour of the city before letting us go to get lunch. We didn't really have time to see anything as we had 90 minutes to eat and be back at the hotel to actually check in to our rooms.

Once we got our rooms, a group of us set out to the Kunsthaus Graz. It is an art museum designed by Peter Cook in 2003 for the European Capital of Culture. It has since been nicknamed the friendly alien although I think it looks like a heart. It is a large building and stands out in stark contrast to the rest of the buildings in the city. The inside is pretty straight forward as museums go. The main draw is the second floor which is double height and the city is reflective of the exterior tower/tubes. It is actually a pretty impressive space.

Kunsthaus Graz

Next, we walked to Murinsel which is a large floating platform in the middle of the Mur River. It was designed by Vito Acconci in 2003. It resembles a sea shell and houses a cafe. The idea is pretty cool as it isn't an island but it is anchored to shore by two walkways on either side.

Murinsel

The last thing we had time for was making the trek up Schlossberg. It is a large hill overlooking the city and contains the remains of the old fortress. Some landmarks at the top are the Uhrturm and Glockenturm. There are also many great views from the top in any direction. It was a beautiful sight.

Looking over Graz from Schlossberg

It was finally time to head down and return to the hotel for dinner. This pretty much concludes our Austria trip and our organized travel for Riva Spring 2016. Tomorrow we make the 7+ hour bus ride back to Riva San Vitale to continue our studies.