Nestled on the slopes of Collina d’Oro, with views opening out toward Lake Lugano and the skyline of Porlezza, the Embrace Building is situated in a harmonious setting where landscape, light, and architecture coexist in natural balance. The discreet and secluded location is part of one of the most sought-after areas in the Lugano region for its quality of life, proximity to key amenities and tranquil atmosphere surrounded by greenery. Just a few meters away is TASIS—The American School in Switzerland, a long-standing institution that has contributed to the neighborhood’s international and cultural character for years.
Designed by architect Alex Romano, the project interprets the landscape with sensitivity and restraint, allowing the natural topography of the terrain to guide its form and development. The architecture does not impose itself on the surroundings but accompanies them with fluid continuity, transforming the slope into an active element of the design and establishing a constant dialogue with light and the view.
The building extends horizontally and houses three residential units designed as open, bright, and airy spaces, organized in a layout that emphasizes continuity between the interior and exterior. Each space maintains a direct connection with the landscape thanks to large windows, terraces, and loggias that frame views of the lake and the surrounding greenery, ensuring diffused natural light and a contemporary living experience.
Defining the building’s architectural identity is a curved line that discreetly traverses the entire volume. Not a showy formal gesture, but an element capable of articulating light throughout the day, generating soft shadows, depth, and perceptual variations on the plastered surfaces in natural tones. The curvature thus becomes a design tool that renders the architecture dynamic and changeable over time, in constant relation to its context.
The project is completed through careful landscape design: climbing vegetation, gardens, and green loggias create a widespread green system that gently accompanies the volumes, softening their boundaries and progressively integrating the building into the landscape. The outdoor spaces thus become a spontaneous extension of living, designed to be experienced in continuity with the interiors.
The materiality is expressed through a minimalist and contemporary language: plastered surfaces, stone details, light railings, and an integrated photovoltaic roof define a balance between aesthetics, comfort, and sustainability.
Embrace Building interprets a vision of contemporary living in harmony with landscape, light, and architecture.
