Mario Botta's buildings are recognized for their strong presence as autonomous objects. His architecture is not ephemeral: It shapes the mass firmly and precisely and touches the ground with self-reliance, all the while standing in dialogue with the surrounding landscape, the urban tissue.

This handsome and richly photographed book emphatically showcases the well-structured, strong compositional order of Mario Botta's work. Replete with beautifully defined photographs, detailed plans, hand-drawn sketches and insightful commentary, this volume organises everything into a whole, and reveals the underlying themes throughout Botta's designs.