Since the early 20th century, the Kursaal Theatre in the city of Locarno has undergone a number of renovations and extensions that have altered the architectural rhythm of the traditional Italian-style theatre.
The challenge lies in stripping away the many apocryphal additions in order to allow the historic structure to reemerge and reaffirm its fundamental role in the cultural, social, and tourist life of Locarno.
The new complex will house the Theatre-Cinema, the Casino, a Restaurant, and the Tourist Office.
As with a sculpture, the base must enhance the object, ensure its stability, and never compete with it. Here, the foundation is solid—raw granite—evoking the nearby Ticino stone landscape. It also serves as the grounding element from which, in stark contrast, the components of pure culture emerge: the upper part of the original building seems to rise delicately from it and engages in a dialogue with the light structure of the restaurant, draped in semi-transparent metallic mesh veils that act as sunshades by day and as stage curtains by night.
This is the open part of the project—the place for encounters and exchanges; the part that, during the day, offers views of the park and the lake, and by night, sparkles with a thousand lights. Most importantly, it is the part that fully reveals the 1902 architectural detailing.
