The new university campus for USI and SUPSI in Lugano is located along the Cassarate river, on the opposite side of the existing campus, bringing an intentional change of scale in a neighbourhood consisting mainly of residential buildings. The volume is articulated in response to the solicitations of the context and at the same time defines within it a public space, joining USI and SUPSI around a courtyard, which is the open atrium of the campus. Around a colonnade the entrances to the respective institutes are arranged and the main public functions. The public programs continue in the ring on the first floor connecting all classrooms. Above, the private programs are split into four volumes, opening the building towards the surrounding mountains. The building's bearing facade uniformly covers the entire building like a texture, emphasizing the cohesion of the volume. The prefabricated facade elements and slabs celebrate the plasticity of the concrete and ennoble the industrial construction. The character of the building is based on the reduction of the elements, an open and flexible infrastructure able to respond to changes over time. The campus is interpreted as a single building that encloses a city.