Printed textile imagery activates a former laundry building
The former laundry building of Villa Argentina in Mendrisio, Switzerland, is the subject of a temporary installation by Studio Hug in collaboration with artist Rachele Monti. Commissioned by the City of Mendrisio, the project activates the historic structure during the period preceding its planned restoration, establishing a temporary dialogue between the building, its history, and the public realm.
Rather than concealing the existing architecture, the intervention introduces a new visual layer through a series of large-scale printed surfaces positioned behind the building’s existing windows, railings, and structural elements. The facade remains fully visible, while the printed images occupy the openings to create a temporary architectural presence without altering the historic fabric.
Developed from Monti’s ongoing research into photography, color, surface, and memory, the images reference textiles associated with the building’s former use as a laundry facility. Repetition, texture, and chromatic variation establish connections between the site’s original function and its current condition as a structure awaiting restoration, using the existing architecture as the framework for the installation.
the former laundry building sits within the historic park of Villa Argentina | all images by Luca Piffaretti
Temporary public art frames a historic building in transition
The project considers the period before restoration as an active phase rather than a temporary absence. By introducing a reversible intervention, the installation, composed by Studio Hug’s lead designer Giacomo Hug in collaboration with artist Rachele Monti, examines how contemporary artistic practice can engage with historic architecture, public space, and processes of urban transformation while maintaining the legibility of the existing building.
The supporting system consists of black-painted timber frames installed within the portico using wire fixings, ensuring the intervention remains fully reversible and avoids permanent modifications to the historic structure. The installation was realized by the municipal infrastructure team of the City of Mendrisio together with Studio Emmanuel Urban.
Visible until restoration works begin, the installation accompanies the building through a transitional stage, using temporary architectural intervention to support public engagement while interpreting the site’s history and future transformation.
large-scale printed surfaces introduce a new visual layer while preserving the nineteenth-century facade
the former laundry building is temporarily activated before its upcoming restoration
the installation unfolds behind the original railings, preserving the architecture and adding a temporary visual layer
the intervention transforms the vacant openings of the building into a temporary architectural presence
the chromatic surfaces contrast with the weathered plaster and exposed brickwork
color and image occupy an existing window opening without concealing the historic fabric