Livio Vacchini (Locarno, 1933) is an architect whose designs feature an extreme coherence of theme and practice. Each project is conceived ideally as the continuation of the lines of research explored by modern architects of the "classical" tradition, like Perret, Mies van der Rohe and Kahn. The extreme reduction of structural elements is present in all his designs of the 1990's: a multi-purpose hall at Losone, the Aurora apartment block at Lugano, a service facility at Locarno and the School of Architecture in Nancy. This volume deals with the complex themes of separate constructions and his personal theory of architecture, and lays particular stress on the most significant phases in the development of one of the most celebrated of all Swiss architects.