Office building in Monte Carasso

The headquarters of Ticino’s energy utility company, Azienda Elettrica Ticinese (AET) is located in what Marc Augé would have described as a ‘non-place’. The A2 motorway borders the east of the site, a local road borders the western side and a vehicular bridge traverses the site connecting Bellinzona with the neighbouring town of Monte Carasso. It was precisely this junction that participants of the design competition for AET’s new office building had to negotiate in 2011. The aim was to accommodate all members of staff in one location. The architects Meyer e Piattini and Francesco Fallavollita won the competition with a design consisting of a high-rise and a low-rise block. In the end, only the latter was completed for approximately 100 employees.

Office building in Monte Carasso
West elevation © Jakob Schoof