Mario Botta, Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel

For 40 years, the Swiss writer, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, committed his works to paper from his home which overlooked the beautiful lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland. After Dürrenmatt's death in 1991, Mario Botta began designing a museum which would be a monument to the writer, housing his drawings, paintings and literary artefacts. Skillfully built onto Dürrenmatt's house, the Centre Dürrenmatt is nearing completion and will be opened in autumn 2000. Officially endorsed by the Centre, this publication documents the complete realisation of the building, from its initial conception to the finished museum, using texts, drawings and plans from both Dürrenmatt and Botta. These are accompanied by expressive photographs by Thomas Flechtner. The result is a fascinating appraisal of geographic beauty, genius loci and modern architectural skill sensitively fusing together.