Festa in corte
Institutional Communication Service
15 September 2021
Thematic villages, stalls, music, a maccheronata, and a number of diversified and cheerful activities just like a blast of coloured confetti. It is the rich lineup of “Festa in Corte”, the day of celebration planned for Saturday 25 September 2021 in the Plaza of the East Campus of USI and SUPSI, organised by the three committees of the neighbouring districts of Viganello, Pregassona and Molino Nuovo.
A festive and cheerful day to welcome the new premises of Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). The neighbourhood committees of Viganello, Pregassona and Molino Nuovo worked together to involve the population and encourage opportunities to meet in the large plaza of the East Campus: a new space that wants to be a place of exchange for those who live in the surroundings and beyond. On this festive day, the plaza, almost as big as Piazza della Riforma, will come alive with activities for all ages, stands and themed villages, co-organised by numerous organisations active in the three neighbourhoods and the student associations of USI and SUPSI.
An actual premiere for the public. It is the final step on the path to the discovery of the new Campus, started by USI, SUPSI and the City of Lugano in 2018 with various initiatives to invite citizens and the academic community to gradually get acquainted with the building under construction before it was even completed. Furthermore, a new way in Ticino to tackle a significant urban planning project by involving the population as it also occurred for the opening in 2019 with the “Casa di progetto”, a small exhibition pavilion set up in a blue container with the slogan “Enter and take a step into the future”. That step into the future is now a reality and can finally be experienced by everyone, starting with this festive day in the plaza.
According to Lugano’s Deputy Mayor, Michele Foletti, the new Campus is “a driver and a fundamental element for the city at the crossroads of three neighbourhoods that have seen it grow and that now embrace it. This underlines the status of Lugano’s academia and its vitality, thanks to the academic community that flourishes in the very centre of the city, side by side with the population. The Campus offers its citizens a large courtyard: a new square to live together”.
USI Rector Boas Erez: “Meeting in this large square and getting together to celebrate this milestone - after the difficult years marked by the pandemic - also in the context of USI’s 25th anniversary, is an occasion of great joy. Moreover, it is very important to us that three neighbourhood committees came together to organise this day. It underlines the closeness of the university to the population”.
The Director of SUPSI, Franco Gervasoni: “Last March, in the presence of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, we officially inaugurated this important new building in the company of a few people, after ten years of intense collective work. For this celebration open to the entire population, I would like to thank the three organising neighbourhood committees as this is an opportunity to see the full potential of this place, which leads the way to dialogue and exchange with the whole of society “.
The Chairs of the Viganello, Molino Nuovo and Pregassona committees, Michele Amadò, Marco Imperadore and Giovanni Zedda: "The Viganello, Pregassona and Molino Nuovo district committees have joined forces to welcome the new USI-SUPSI East Campus. This day aims to bring together the world of the university and the local community with its people, the associations operating in the area, and the traders of the three neighbourhoods. The establishment of the new Campus in Viganello will undoubtedly have an enormous impact on the reality of the three districts and the whole city. For Lugano, this will enrich the offer in the world of education. This day is also an opportunity to get to know better the associations active in the area, as well as the shopkeepers who work there”.
Programme of the day
More than forty local organisations will be taking part in “Festa in corte”, from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm on Saturday, 25 September with 25 free activities in the plaza of the East Campus at Via la Santa 1 in Lugano.
Lunchtime will be animated by a maccheronata offered from 11.30 am, followed at 1.30 pm by the official greetings of Michele Amadò, representing the neighbourhood committees, Tiziano Galeazzi, Head of Consulting and Management Department in the Municipality of Lugano, Boas Erez, Rector of USI and Franco Gervasoni, Director of SUPSI.
Dance performances, concerts and lectures will take place on stage. It will be possible to practise different sports in the Sports Village, from judo and basketball to parkour and scouting activities. The kids’ area will host reading nests with books for all ages, while creative ateliers, readings in Italian and other languages will be offered for the youngest. Kids would also be able to bring their old toys to the collecting point in the courtyard.
During the day, it will be possible to participate in a special scavenger hunt to discover hidden and peculiar places in the quarters of Viganello, Molino Nuovo and Pregassona. “Festa in Corte” will also be the occasion to discover the East Campus and its nursery through guided tours, to which it is possible to register on that same day. Moreover, from 25 September, a series of expositive panels in the outdoor areas of the Campus, along the river, will present the main characteristics of the new building.
The detailed programme is available on the website www.bit.ly/festa-in-corte. Access to the Campus will be granted from Via la Santa 1. In case of rain, this celebration will take place on 26 September. This event, unique in his genre, was possible thanks to the numerous volunteers of the neighbouring commissions, associations, and the precious collaboration of the City of Lugano, the Università della Svizzera italiana, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, and two sponsors: BancaStato and LaMobiliare.
Admission conditions
To enter the “Festa in Corte”, everyone over the age of 16 need to present a valid COVID certificate (QRCode on paper or downloaded via the App) which attests a complete vaccination, a COVID recovery within the last six months or a negative result of a test completed within the 48 hours preceding the event. The pharmacy Contrada dei Patrizi will also be on-site to provide COVID tests. During that same day, the cantonal mobility unit for the vaccination campaign will also be present.
The East Campus
The East Campus houses lecture rooms and offices of the Faculty of Informatics, the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, the SUPSI Department of Innovative Technologies, the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA), the USI Startup centre, and the SUPSI Startup Garage. It is indeed one of the most important changes in the City of Lugano on an urbanistic level.
124 million Francs to build it, 30 months of construction, 40 project managers, 18000 m3 of cement, 1000 steps, 1000 windows, 120 laboratories, 40 lecture halls, 1 bar, 1 cafeteria and 1 nursery. These are just a few numbers representing the East Campus, originated by the Zenobia project from architects Simone Tocchetti and Luca Pessina.
A new space among the districts of Viganello, Molino Nuovo and Pregassona in a context already populated by established realities of academic character, which contributed to the growth of a dynamic academic area. The Bar 5-0 opened in the inner courtyard to confirm an open approach towards the population.
The construction was built next to another important project, “Raggio verde”, which aims to revitalise the river Cassarate with a series of transformations which will also take place in front of the new Campus.
For more information
Amanda Prada, Communication Office, Communication and corporate relations, City of Lugano
t. +41 58 866 70 74, [email protected]
Cristina Elia Ott, Institutional Communication Service, Università della Svizzera italiana
t. +41 58 666 47 92, [email protected]
Rina Corti, institutional Communication Service, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland
t. +41 58 666 60 16, [email protected]