Autosilo Balestra

Words & Photography: Karin Bürki

Autosilo Balestra may look like a weather-beaten boulder in Lugano’s chic financial district. But this old but bold relic of the car age is here to stay.

Designed by Carlo Cesarini, Autosilo is a brutalist (or ‘nudi et crudi’ in Italian) multi-storey car park and mini shopping centre in Lugano’s financial district. Its fortress-like structure and zigzag lines cut into the sky like saw blades. The ageing concrete boulder contrasts sharply with its sleek and shiny postmodernist neighbours, most of which were designed or inspired by Mario Botta. Not having undergone any redevelopments, Autosilo Balestra has its trumps, though: it offers a rare, authentic glimpse into the car-centric Swiss shopping experience of the late seventies.

Pro tip

Have a pit stop at the snack bar – another 70s original – before venturing down the dingy underground bus terminal. It is an impressive reminder of the pecking order between people, cars and public transport at that time.

Fun fact

In 2011, a driver managed to crash his Ford Mustang through the massive concrete walls on the third floor. After a Hollywood-style 15-metre fall, the Mustang landed in the scooter parking area. Although the car was a total write-off and three scooters were crushed by chunks of concrete, the 24-year-old driver only suffered minor injuries.