Mario Botta, born April 1st, 1943 in Mendrisio, Switzerland trained as a technical draftsman before he studied at the Liceo Artistico in Milan. In 1965 he enrolled at the Istituto Universitario di Architecttura in Venice from where he graduated in 1969. During this same period he worked as an assistant to Le Corbusier and, then, to Louis I. Kahn.

He opened his own practice in Lugano, Switzerland in 1970. Botta sticks to a philosophy of historical determinism in which architecture acts as a mirror of its times. He is interested in history and in the study of man's habitat through time. Botta's works characteristically show respect for topographical conditions and regional sensibilities and his designs generally emphasize craftsmanship and geometric order.

Because he attempts to reconcile traditional architectural symbolism with the aesthetic rules of the Modern Movement, Botta is often identified with the Italian neo-rationalist group, the Tendenaz.Many of Botta's projects have been single-family houses. For him, the single-family house includes the problems and the objectives of the entire discipline of architecture.

Mario Botta's house projects are numerous, among which are the single-family houses in Switzerland at Stabio (1965-1967), Riva San Vitale (1972-1973)and Ligornetto (1975-1976) with Martin Boesch.