Attico duplex - Renovation of a residential building with duplex penthouse

Lugano, Switzerland

Photo © A. Crinari, D. Di Blasi

Architects: Architetti Tibiletti Associati

Location: Via G. Buffi , 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
Year: 2007

Renovation of a residential building with duplex penthouse

The transformation of a building on Via G. Buffi has led to substantial modification of the attic on the fourth floor and the addition of one level to form a new two-story apartment. The elimination of the pitched roof and the resulting expansion have made it possible to complete the volume as far as the facade line. The project has maintained the robust language of the existing building through repetition of the openings and the presence of concrete cornices, in continuity with the design of the facade below. The raising of the upper level, set back from the facade, creates a single space completely open to the city. The new volume constructed at the fifth floor is composed of a structure in metal and glass. The new apartment has two levels: the entrance is on the fourth floor, like the bedrooms, while a staircase leads to the upper level containing the living area, which is open and surrounded by a terrace. With this addition the building takes on new proportions, making the new and older parts coexist without neglecting the relationship with the context: glass and opaque surfaces guide the gaze towards the most interesting features of the surrounding environment, screening off the view of several nearby buildings.