scaffolding and safety mesh frame observation platforms at lugano demolition sites
created for the 6th biennale svizzera del territorio in lugano, sit for a while explores the contradiction between a well-preserved urban environment and the ongoing demolition of its buildings.
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SKNYPL INSTALLS OBSERVATION PLATFORMS ACROSS DEMOLITION SITES
Designed by architecture practice SKNYPL for the 6th Biennale Svizzera del Territorio in Lugano, Switzerland, held under the theme Handle with Care, Sit For A While is a multi-site installation that examines the tensions between municipal upkeep, architectural preservation, and urban demolition. Sourced from archival research, local press accounts, and historic municipal documents, the project identifies a recurring urban condition: despite Lugano’s visibly maintained built environment, unprotected twentieth-century structures and nineteenth-century villas regularly undergo demolition, leaving lingering gaps in the urban fabric.
all images ©Fabio Compagno unless stated otherwise
SCAFFOLDING AND MESH REFRAME CONTESTED URBAN STRUCTURES
To interrogate these conditions, the studio deployed modular observation platforms built from standard scaffolding pipes, walkboards, and synthetic construction safety mesh—materials typically associated with pending demolition and site turnover. The intervention occupies two separate urban locations facing uncertain futures. The first site, situated at Piazzale di Besso near the central railway station, occupies an unbuilt void left behind by an earlier, unreplaced building demolition. The second site, located at Via Pazzalino 1, abuts a decommissioned municipal school building currently subject to administrative debate and threatened teardown. By repurposing temporary construction infrastructure into elevated seating, the installation provides viewpoints for public observation, framing the contested structures and urban voids to question preservation criteria and the architectural lifecycle of existing buildings.
image ©SKNYPL
image ©SKNYPL
image ©SKNYPL
image ©SKNYPL
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project info:
name: Sit For A While by SKNYPL | 6th Biennale Svizzera del Territorio 2026
designer: SKNYPL | @sknypl
location: Lugano, Switzerland
event: 6th Biennale Svizzera del Territorio
photographer: Fabio Compagno | @compoone
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. See more project submissions from our readers here.
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