City of Music
A new hub of expertise dedicated to education, sound heritage, and the main local entities in the field of music, both at a national and international level, will be developed in the buildings of Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI) in Besso.
The buildings of the Radiotelevisione della Svizzera italiana (RSI) in Besso are an important cultural asset that the City of Lugano has decided to purchase with the goal of creating the City of Music, a new center of excellence dedicated to musical education, sound heritage, and the leading national and international entities in the field of music within the municipal area and beyond.
To this end, the City Parliament approved a credit of CHF 21.25 million in March 2023, endorsing the proposal of the City Council, which has long pursued a growth policy focused on promoting new research and educational hubs, as outlined in the Luganoduemilatrenta development guidelines. It is estimated that the City of Music will generate private investments exceeding CHF 55 million, with the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana and the Swiss National Sound Archives at its core.
In March 2025, the Ticino Grand Council approved a contribution of CHF 13.4 million for the construction of the new premises of the Scuola Universitaria di Musica, affiliated with the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, and confirmed its willingness to grant the Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI) a cantonal loan of up to CHF 18.6 million.
Construction work began in February 2026. Building A (former RSI building) is expected to be handed over in 2028, while the construction of the new buildings is expected to be completed in 2029.
The context
The opportunity to create this center arose from the need to find a new location for the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana (CSI) and the Swiss National Sound Archives (FN), two highly significant institutions located just a short distance from the RSI Radio Studios, which found themselves obliged to plan a relocation, effectively leaving a gap in the city. In fact, for the Centro San Carlo, home to CSI and FN, a transfer of ownership rights (through a surface rights agreement) from the Diocese of Lugano to Moncucco SA was announced for the expansion of its clinic facilities. There was therefore an urgent need to find a new location in which to establish themselves quickly and on a long-term basis. Added to these are prestigious entities such as the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, the Coro della Radiotelevisione svizzera and I Barocchisti.
At the same time, RSI’s new campus in Comano was conceived as a single functional entity for the production sectors related to radio, television and web.
Needs and opportunities therefore came together in the City of Music project, in a district — Besso — that has naturally established itself as an area of the city linked to musical expertise. Around this prestigious core, other high-quality initiatives have in fact been added more recently: the Associazione Jazzy Jams (Jazz in Bess project) in the former Tipografia Veladini building, and the classical and choral concert programmes hosted at the Church of San Nicolao della Flüe.
The objectives of the initiative
The City of Music project aims primarily to anchor important institutions already active in the music sector at the municipal, cantonal, national, and international levels to the city's territory, contributing to making the cultural landscape of the City (and the Canton of Ticino) richer and of high quality.
Moreover, it will bring an additional creative impulse to Lugano that goes far beyond the local musical context. The project seeks to foster the development of collaborations among various stakeholders and multiple activities at different levels, creating growth opportunities and significant cultural and economic benefits for citizens and the broader cantonal territory.
The uniqueness of the project lies in its ability to develop, in an unprecedented and unique way in Switzerland, not just one aspect of the music system but the entire sector. While the Lugano Arte Cultura (LAC) center focuses mainly on dissemination, the City of Music encompasses the entire chain, with a particular focus on training and production activities.
Thus, it represents a true ecosystem that, in constant dialogue with the LAC, will encompass all aspects related to the sector: music education (at all levels, from children to adults, from bachelor’s degrees to advanced training), original creation, research, production, public presentation (concerts, performances, and festivals), recording, dissemination (from radio to the web), cataloging, protection, and preservation of sound recordings on any medium (from vinyl to digital).
The planned structure will also provide space for other high-quality music-related activities in the area, offering workspaces (rehearsal rooms), social spaces (restaurant and bar), and study and research facilities (library and listening stations). It will also serve as an attractive meeting and exchange point for citizens (thanks in part to a public park).
A new model of collaboration between public and private entities
The City has decided to acquire the complex for CHF 21.25 million, subsequently establishing two surface rights for CSI and FN. The two institutions will bear the costs of transforming and constructing new buildings, totaling CHF 55 million (CHF 45 million for the Conservatorio and CHF 10 million for the Fonoteca), and will pay the City the fees that will allow the investment to be reimbursed.
The choice of the architectural project
In November 2023, the Fondazione Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana announced that the "Pussar" project by the Architecture Club of Basel was chosen as the winner of the competition for the City of Music. The project was selected by a highly qualified jury tasked with anonymously evaluating twelve architectural proposals. Additionally, a website entirely dedicated to the project has been launched.
Last updated: 27 March 2026
The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.
The original version is the page in Italian.