“We planted the trees, and the trees plant us, for we belong each other and must exist together”
Joseph Beuys, Difesa della Natura, 1984

40 trees planted in 5 rows of 8 trees each form a regular grid.

Majestic trees occupy the Piazzale ex-Scuole in the center of Lugano, forming a natural canopy under which vibrates an urban public space where buses pass and people circulate, while bicycles and motorcycles park underground.
We know these public spaces thanks to examples like Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux or Petersplatz in Basel. They are places that emanate life and serenity, a sense of rootedness and peace: we would love to see a square like this in Lugano.
Planting a tree is an act of great symbolic strength. For Joseph Beuys, the 7000 oaks planted at Documenta 7 in Kassel in 1982 are a “return to the old organizational structure”. At that time, rows of trees were uprooted to widen roads and sidewalks in many cities. Today, trees reclaim this space and with their shade contribute to fighting the heat islands of cities and retaining large amounts of CO2.

Is it also true that architecture, a model of staticity and permanence, opposes the transience of the plant world? We don’t think so, because there is the architecture of trees. The tree, as a living being, stands between the city and nature. Thanks to its tree structure, the Piazzale ex-Scuole presents itself in attire that changes with the seasons, regulating light and shadow naturally. In summer, the dense foliage provides coolness and shade, while in winter the warm sunlight enters freely.

The idea of a tree-lined space easily reconciles the different functional and technical requirements of this competition. The rules of mobility translate into the spacing between the trees: the tall trees sink their roots into the ground, emerge from parking lots, sidewalks, and form that free space that buses need to circulate freely. The trees thus form the framework of a precise set of rules composed of norms, laws, and functional requirements for the intermodal hub.

Two worlds communicate with each other, nature and traffic, but also the city soil and the underground world of bicycle and motorcycle parking. Circular cuts in the ceiling spatially connect the two levels, allowing the trees to breathe and at the same time serving as a source of natural light.
We have chosen the most compact and effective organization of the intermodal hub in order to dedicate as much space as possible to other activities such as the market, gastronomy, and festivals. To this end, on the south side of the square, a generous and permeable area in cobblestone is provided. The new pavement, in continuity with the existing one in the nucleo, is composed of the same shapes and materials. The existing fountain is integrated into the new design. The sidewalk on Via Nizzola is widened and planted with a row of trees to increase the quality of the outdoor space for adjacent premises.

The space program for TPL, the ARL, and the Municipal Police finds space in a two-story round pavilion. Commercial spaces are also located in a small pavilion along the ramp on the west side. The existing canopy is demolished, and the translucent polycarbonate panels can be reused for the cladding of the new buildings.