mario botta’s casa rotonda

Swiss architect Mario Botta designed a round house in Stabio, Ticino, Switzerland, in 1980, that is rather monumental in its symmetry –

Nine years later, he designed one in Losone, just 60 kilometers away.

In his 1986 book on Botta, architect and artist Stuart Wrede described the Stabio house as follows: “Built on the edge of a rural field … Botta’s cylindrical house turns in on itself. However, while rejecting any dialogue with the surrounding houses, its richly textured form establishes a strong rapport with the landscape, in particular the curving ridge behind it.”

Here’s a glimpse into Botta’s design process.