colorful printed textile installation reimagines historic laundry building facade in switzerland

Printed textile imagery activates a former laundry building

The former laundry building of Villa Argentina in Mendrisio, Switzerland, is the subject of a temporary installation by Studio Hug in collaboration with artist Rachele Monti. Commissioned by the City of Mendrisio, the project activates the historic structure during the period preceding its planned restoration, establishing a temporary dialogue between the building, its history, and the public realm.

Rather than concealing the existing architecture, the intervention introduces a new visual layer through a series of large-scale printed surfaces positioned behind the building’s existing windows, railings, and structural elements. The facade remains fully visible, while the printed images occupy the openings to create a temporary architectural presence without altering the historic fabric.

Developed from Monti’s ongoing research into photography, color, surface, and memory, the images reference textiles associated with the building’s former use as a laundry facility. Repetition, texture, and chromatic variation establish connections between the site’s original function and its current condition as a structure awaiting restoration, using the existing architecture as the framework for the installation.

Temporary public art frames a historic building in transition

The project considers the period before restoration as an active phase rather than a temporary absence. By introducing a reversible intervention, the installation, composed by Studio Hug’s lead designer Giacomo Hug in collaboration with artist Rachele Monti, examines how contemporary artistic practice can engage with historic architecture, public space, and processes of urban transformation while maintaining the legibility of the existing building.

The supporting system consists of black-painted timber frames installed within the portico using wire fixings, ensuring the intervention remains fully reversible and avoids permanent modifications to the historic structure. The installation was realized by the municipal infrastructure team of the City of Mendrisio together with Studio Emmanuel Urban.

Visible until restoration works begin, the installation accompanies the building through a transitional stage, using temporary architectural intervention to support public engagement while interpreting the site’s history and future transformation.

project info:

name: Waiting Surfaces: A Temporary Installation for the Former Laundry Building of Villa Argentina
designers: Studio Hug – Giacomo Hug | @giacomohug + Rachele Monti | @lhcrm

commissioned by: Città di Mendrisio | @cittadimendrisio

location: Villa Argentina, Mendrisio, Switzerland

photographer: Luca Piffaretti | @lucap_photos