OASIS

CHIASO, SWITZERLAND
2020

Territorial peculiarities created a place of fun and games. Whoever wanted or needed, crossed the border for whatever reason they had. Some to enjoy a boozy night, others to pay a visit to Palazzo Mercurio. Decicion makers high up in Zürich decided it would be good to built a Monument for the biggest employer and number one taxpayer of Chiasso, to never forget these lucky years.

So in the late 70s planning began to erect a crimson coloured castle, sitting right next to the church and the municipality, overlooking the whole town. Three underground floors were keeping the secrets safe, 4 floors above ground were working hard to double or even triple the wealth. In 2015, after almost 4 decades of flourishing business in the region, an event in far away Brussels would radically change the fate of this Palace of Chiasso and turn it into an abandoned Monster. The federal Government and the European Union signed a declaration to share their fiscal information. In one fell swoop the Palazzo Mercurio became redundant.
The high security vaults - redundant, the several, labyrinthian corridors - vast.
And today, one third of the building is empty. Another third is rented out to third parties and a hand full of employees is left behind while for the rest, the party is going on in Zürich.

Left behind are also their parents and grandparents. Half the population of Chiasso is over 50, while a third is over 60. Even though, Chiasso is the town with the highest ratio of empty flats, moving doesn't make sense as exactly those flats got erected in the 50s and 60s, with no elevators, but plenty of steps. The industry in the valley is moving away from the classic swiss financial business, into high-tech and logistics. The people working here now are mostly commuters. The cars which used to stop at the border to buy cigarets or ice cream are now rushing through to Milan or Zürich. Only the train seems still to linger around sometimes. Thanks to the worlds biggest gold refinery next door, even the water is getting more and more polluted and already is one of the worst in all of Switzerland.

Reminiscing the old days in their sunny spot on earth a group of seniors is planning a final coup. With no shady place in town to play boules, no gym to lift weighs responsibly, not even a spa to enjoy a southing bath is accessible.

So this very group of nimble seniors broke into the bank.

After a couple of intense days with the jackhammer they worked themselves from the top to the bottom, uncovering the potential of the different floors. First, they discovered a whole floor of AC on the rooftop which they proudly dismantled. It was cool all year round in the vaults of the basement, so why not make use of this. The sunny roof now houses a lush tropical garden with flowers all year round. Then they invited all the doctors, chiropractors and orthopedists they needed, to move in. They even set up an adjacent gym. Above, there would be the wellness area with saunas, whirlpools, massage booths and private baths. They decided, the basement would become their social club during the hot summer days. In the winter the collected and filtered water from the roof would be stored there. Around the Atrium the offices are gone and generous flats with private loggias were set up.

As the years go by, most senior couples find themselves involuntarily torn apart, why there are also single apartments available, one floor above. The doctors also not only care for the seniors, but these specialists are treating some 15 patients which are recovering from their surgeries here.

With this new amount of energy and attraction the Pallazo turned from an abandoned site in the centre into the beating heart with program around the clock, throughout all seasons, attracting people from all walks of life.