The Pestalozzi school was designed as a secondary school for boys by the cantonal architect Heinrich Reese and built from 1891 to 1893. The main facade of the free-standing, neo-baroque school faces the park at St. Johanns-Platz. In 2003, the Basel architects Diener & Diener renovated the interior with great consideration for the historical building fabric and added an elevator next to the staircase in place of the teachers' toilets.

In 2019, MET Architects won the planner selection competition for additional conversion and renovation work. It included adapting the standard floors to current usage requirements, improving acoustics and lighting in the corridors and classrooms, converting the attic as well as renovating and energetically optimizing the building envelope.

The plastered natural stone façade with window casings and cornices made of sandstone was in poor condition before the renovation. The finishing coat of plaster, which had been painted over with synthetic resin paint, was removed from the entire building to allow a new, consistently mineral layering on the original plaster base. In consultation with the Cantonal department of monument preservation, the new finishing coat was rendered in the characteristic red shade typical to Basel, which marks the school as a public building. The sandstone elements were replaced or repaired and cleaned. New triple-glazed oak windows in the original partitioning and profiling were installed to improve energy efficiency. For the new centrally controlled sun shading, a salmon-coloured fabric in a style typical for the construction period was chosen.

On the first and second floor, three rooms now connect to form a learning studio. The room acoustics in the classrooms were improved with prefabricated acoustic panels in two different thicknesses tailored to the room sizes and combined to form an ornamental interwoven pattern. For fire safety reasons, a series of "blind paintings" – glass wool panels covered in fabric with oak frames – were installed the corridors.

In the converted attic, classrooms for textile crafts, storage rooms, the day care centre and the media library are arranged according to the standard floor plan. To make the attic accessible, two concrete flights of stairs with a cantilevered landing were added to the main staircase and the elevator shaft was extended over the main roof. The roof and the knee wall were insulated, and new skylights were installed in the corridor and the classrooms. Onion-domed towers modelled after original historical drawings were added at the ridge ends to provide weather-independent ventilation and night cooling of the attic. If critical CO2 levels are exceeded, ventilation hatches in the knee wall and in the towers open automatically and allow fresh air to circulate until the oxygen level is sufficient again.

The colour scheme for the attic was derived from the standard floors. The walls are clad in a contemporary interpretation of the historic dado and finished in light turquoise oil paint. In the classrooms, matching low, open shelves with countertops were installed. The fire door to the staircase and the interior are designed according to the dado. The doors to the classrooms are additionally fitted with fanlights.

Architects+General Planners: MET Architects with Rapp Architekten
Structural Engineer: wh-p Ingenieure
Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG
Heating and Ventilation: herrmann & partner Energietechnik
Sewerage and Sanitary Engineering: Bogenschütz AG
Building Physics: Gruner AG
Fire Safety: Aegerter & Bossharft AG
Photographer: Ruedi Walti, Basel

The Berufsfachschule (BFS) Basel is a centre for vocational training in retail trade, home economics, fashion and design, and social work. The school is housed in two buildings at Kohlenberggasse in Basel: the main building designed by the Basel architect Hans Bernoulli in 1916 and the narrow, six-storey "Hangbau" designed by the Zurich architect Bernhard Weiss in 1960. In 2016, MET Architects won the planner selection competition for the renovation of the theatre hall located in the lower floors of the Hangbau.

Due to its age, the building fabric and the operational equipment of the theatre hall were worn out. The renovation included structural modifications to meet current usage requirements as well as adaptations to safety and fire protection standards, the replacement of the HVAC and electrical infrastructure including stage mechanics and audio-visual equipment, as well as the renewal of all interior surfaces and the furniture. In the future, the theatre hall of the centrally located Berufsfachschule will be available to surrounding schools and external events with up to 400 people.

The spaces that were originally designed in a purely practical manner were converted into a contemporary theatre atmosphere with a minimum of structural interventions and a new selection of materials and colours. The original spaciousness of the two foyers had been significantly diminished by the installation of an elevator. By deliberately adding wall sections and introducing a uniform colour scheme, the foyers were spatially improved. To accommodate the new emergency exit in the theatre hall, the opening of the proscenium stage and the two access stairs were moved and visually centred in the space. The suspended ceiling with a rhombus relief and an integrated ventilation and lighting system provides optimised room acoustics for different performances. A semi-spiral concrete staircase serves as an additional fire escape necessitated by the higher occupancy and leads down and out into the open through the stage entrance on Steinenbachgässlein. The balcony was adapted to current safety standards by raising the parapet and adding a metal railing along the sides and in front towards the stage. The rows of seats are now accessible via new stairs on both sides instead of from the centre.

The original colour scheme, consisting mainly of grey tones, could not meet the current expectations of a public theatre and had to be reinvented. The original mural "Zwei Musen" (Two Muses) by Karl Aegerter and the remaining fittings and furniture were refurbished or renewed and integrated into the overall appearance. The new stage mechanics and audio-visual equipment covers a range of uses, from simple functions for everyday school activities to the technically sophisticated staging of concerts and theatre performances. With the renovation, the school theatre is transformed into an inner-city venue for a broad audience.

Construction Management: Martini Schäfer Baumanagement GmbH, Basel
Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG Elektroengineering, Reinach
Acoustic Consultant: Martin Lienhard, Büro für Bau- und Raumakustik, Lärmschutz
Photographer: Ruedi Walti, Basel

The Wirtschaftsgymnasium in Basel's St. Alban neighborhood was built in 1941. The building complex, which is now listed in the inventory of the cantonal heritage preservation office, is composed of four buildings: a five-story main wing, a three-story south wing, a transversal auditorium wing, and separate sports halls with a former janitor's apartment. A comprehensive need for modernization of the building's technical installations was determined in 2017, which required an extensive redevelopment of the entire complex. Spatial and technical improvements were to ensure that the school could continue to provide state-of-the-art education in the future.

The modifications to the building structure included the renovation of the roof and the building envelope, including new wooden windows and centrally controlled sun blinds. The thermal energy previously generated by a gas-powered combined heat and power plant is now provided by a district heating system. The sewerage was partially replaced, and the freshwater infrastructure completely renewed. All buildings were equipped with a fiber-optic network and the multimedia technology was updated to meet the newest requirements.

The most significant spatial modifications are the installation of a cafeteria, a media library and a new elevator as well as the reorganization of the sports hall building and the renovation of the former janitor's apartment, which is now being used as a kindergarten. Structural measures had to be taken throughout the building complex to comply with current standards and laws regarding earthquake resistance, fire protection and general safety requirements, and to provide barrier-free accessibility.

The ceramic floors in the corridors and stair halls as well as the historic wooden mosaic floor and the wooden ceiling in the auditorium were preserved. All other interior surfaces were completely renewed. For this purpose, a detailed color and material schedule was developed to give the interiors a carefully designed, welcoming appearance. Subtle distinctions on each floor facilitate orientation, transform the circulation areas into recreational spaces and disrupt the uniformity of the standard floors.

A new elevator provides barrier-free access to all floors. The sanitary facilities were replaced throughout the building complex. The physics, chemistry and biology laboratories were completely refurbished. The new cafeteria extends over the southeast side of the southern wing of the building. The area of the former corridor is used for the kitchen. A staircase at the end of the kitchen leads to the basement with all relevant service rooms. In the auditorium, the wooden ceiling and floor were restored and the technology was updated. Above the auditorium, a media library was installed which is lit by north-facing skylights and the pre-existing round windows in the side walls.

In the sports hall building, the access was simplified, and the newly freed-up space was used to expand the equipment rooms. A short ramp leads from the recreation area to the new entry with direct access to the sports halls. By replacing all interior surfaces, the sports halls and the former janitor's apartment, which is now used as a kindergarten, were transformed into a contemporary appearance.

Construction Management: Rapp Architekten AG, Münchenstein
Structural Engineer: wh-p Ingenieure AG, Basel

Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG, Reinach

Mechanical Engineer: herrmann & partner Energietechnik GmbH, Basel

Landscape Architect: META Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH, Basel
Photographer: Ruedi Walti, Basel

The public swimming pool Gartenbad Bachgraben was built in 1962 to the designs of Otto and Walter Senn and extends across the cantonal border between Basel-Stadt and Basel-Land (Allschwil). MET Architects won the open competition for the renovation of the listed restaurant building, which was to incorporate a youth centre. Because the building was originally intended for summer use only and upgrading it for year-round use would have significantly impaired the historic substance, they proposed the former caretaker's house as an alternative location for the youth centre.

The caretaker's house had already been occupied year-round and was suitable for the new use due to its immediate vicinity to the former youth club, the direct access from outside the pool premises and having its own garden. The caretaker’s apartment was located on the upper floor, the ground floor provided changing rooms and recreational areas for the staff as well as ancillary rooms for the operation of the pool, and the basement accommodated various storage and utility rooms along with an an air-raid shelter.

The three floors are now connected by a barrier-free elevator. Toilets were installed in the northern corner in both above-ground floors. On the ground floor, several walls were demolished and, where necessary, the structural system was re-established with new pillars, creating two large group rooms with direct access to the garden. On the upper floor, the former kitchen and living room were connected to form an additional group room. The basement remains largely unchanged.

In coordination with the cantonal department of monument preservation, the window openings on the southeast side were enlarged and a new door was added at the end of the window strip on the garden side. To meet current safety standards, the historic railing was raised and the lower part closed with wire mesh - a design element inspired by other projects by the Senn brothers.

The exposed concrete façade was in very poor condition. Reinforcement that had corroded over the years had been improperly repaired and entire façade areas plastered and painted over repeatedly. Reconstruction of the exposed concrete was considered and rejected in favour of a detailed "repair concept". Depending on the layer thickness, various methods were used to remove the coating mechanically, chemically or by snap freezing. Depth impregnation was subsequently used on the concrete and the colour and graphic structure of the original board formwork was restored through retouching. This established a historic preservation approach that will be applied to the entire pool renovation.

The interior insulation was replaced to meet current energy requirements along with new triple-glazed wood windows with historic profiles and new entrance doors. The interior wood shutters on the upper floor were restored and the same type of sun protection added in on the northeast and southwest facades. A geothermal probe in the garden enables heating via a heat pump and the former gravel roof was turned into a green roof with a photovoltaic system. With these measures, the listed exposed concrete building could be energetically optimized.

After the structural adjustments and the integration of the new building technology, all interior surfaces were renovated. The clinker floor in the staircase was preserved, the common and office rooms were fitted with new linoleum flooring and the surfaces in the sanitary areas were newly tiled. The existing walls and new interior insulation were plastered and painted. The corridor and group rooms were equipped with sound-absorbing ceilings and the entire building was fitted with new light fixtures.

Construction Management: Martini Schäfer Baumanagement GmbH, Basel

Structural Engineer: wh-p Ingenieure AG, Basel

Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG Elektroengineering, Reinach

Mechanical Engineer: Herrmann + Partner Energietechnik GmbH, Basel

Photographer: Ruedi Walti, Basel

The BASF and Novartis factory sites in Kleinbasel's Klybeck district will no longer be needed for industrial purposes in the future. With the "Vision klybeckplus", the intention is to open up the sites to the public and to create a diverse and lively urban neighbourhood by adding new structures to the existing buildings that are worth preserving. In 2021, the pension fund "SwissLife" announced a single stage, non-anonymous project competition with development concept for the conversion of the listed building “K-26”.

"K-26" was built in 1937 by CIBA Baubüro as a warehouse. The six open floors of the concrete building are characterized by the mushroom columns that taper towards the top. The first floor recedes slightly on the east and west side, the third and fourth floors are double-height with a mezzanine and an atrium in the centre as well as set-back ceilings along the façade. The building is to be converted with as little modifications as possible to fulfil current safety and energy requirements, accommodate future user needs, as well as made accessible to people with impaired mobility.

While from the outside “K-26” represents the industrial history of the area, programmatically it is to become a beacon for the transformation of the Klybeck district. After the renovation, the building would have a strong public appeal and thus become an urban nucleus that would vitalize the neighbourhood even before it has become established. The ground floor would be used as a "food factory." The façades on the east and west sides can be fully opened to blur the boundary between inside and outside during the summer. On the upper floors, following international examples, creative uses such as a "forum", a "makerspace", an indoor playground, co-working spaces and offices are proposed. Alternatively, all floors can be divided into up to three rental units. This would also allow for a mix of different uses within a single floor and allow the building to adapt to future user demands.

The main entry to the ground floor is provided by a new ramp across the entire front of the east side. The existing elevator shafts and staircases will be updated and continue to be used for the vertical circulation. The staircase in the southeast corner of the building will be extended to all floors, and an additional staircase will be installed next to the elevator in the northeast corner within the building structure. With the dual use as access and escape staircases, all floors remain freely divisible while fulfilling fire safety requirements. Washrooms with wheelchair-accessible toilets are provided adjacent to the staircases and elevators on all floors.

To preserve the striking appearance of K-26, the exposed concrete façades are to be insulated on the inside. This layer can simultaneously be used for the integration of sun protection as well as heating and electrical installations. The industrial concrete lattice windows will be replaced with triple-glazed wood windows modelled after the pre-existing windows of the former offices on the south side to comply with current energy requirements. Due to its historical use as a warehouse, the building does not have any technical infrastructure. For future use, access shafts for technical equipment can be integrated along the staircase and in the former elevator on the west side of the building. In the basement, utility rooms for heating, plumbing, electricity and a secondary ventilation system are planned. The roof and terrace areas will be insulated, extensively greened and equipped with a photovoltaic system.

The gymnasium and swimming hall, planned by cantonal architect Hans Luder and completed in 1967, is part of the Vogelsang school complex in Basel's Wettstein district. The striking building is composed of two perpendicular halls, their ancillary areas and a former caretaker's house, which is connected to the halls by an elongated canopy. The exposed concrete and the large oak windows are typical examples of the high-quality, functional and durable choice of materials of this period.

The exterior of the building seemed to be in good condition, but the inner surfaces showed significant signs of wear and needed a complete refurbishment. The building and electrical services had to be replaced, current safety, fire protection and earthquake standards had to be fulfilled and the building envelope had to be improved in terms of energy efficiency. The aim of the conversion was to carefully renovate the high-quality but aging building and to further develop in line with the 1960s aesthetic to create a contemporary appearance.

The low concrete ceiling in the entrance hall was painted in the warm yellow tone of the original colour palette. A different, finely graded shade of green and blue was chosen for each changing room to facilitate orientation. The temporarily covered skylights were opened up and fitted with a new, specially created light fixture, which along with the white paint visually heightens the ceiling of these low rooms. The original wooden benches were refurbished and re-equipped with the original heating pipes. The toilets and changing rooms for teachers in the anterooms to the gymnasiums were renovated and fitted with new surfaces.

All surfaces in the two gymnasiums were revised. The windows were replaced in a lighter shade of oak, which lends a fresher look to the building. The newly insulated roofs are clad with grey acoustic panels. The oak-veneered wall panels were dismantled, repaired, sanded down and reinstalled after the replacement of the heating system. The new red sports flooring combined with the wood and exposed concrete creates a coherent overall appearance.

A new elevator with doors on both sides provides wheelchair access to the basement floor and the swimming pool level. The anteroom adjacent to the swimming hall is equipped with large steps to offer seating for visitors. A picture window frames the view of the swimming hall.

The swimming pool was technically upgraded and finished with penny tiles in nuanced shades of light blue. The stepped tribune leading into the pool was maintained and refreshed with light grey penny tiles. On the walls, white and black tiles form bold contrasts to the blue of the water. A graphic pattern on the back wall of the hall plays with the perspective and lends the pool a new identity.

Construction Management: Bernstein Bâtir AG, Basel

Structural Engineer: wh-p Ingenieure AG, Basel

Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG, Reinach

Mechanical Engineer: herrmann & partner Energietechnik GmbH, Basel

Wall graphic: Claudiabasel, Basel

Photographer: Ruedi Walti, Basel

The Vogesen, Pestalozzi and St. Johann schools in the north of Basel form an open block perimeter around a schoolyard with an underground gymnasium and swimming hall. The hall, built in 1980 by the architects Gass and Hafner, is spanned by six concrete girders. Due to recurring problems with the watertightness of the ceiling and the layout of the courtyard no longer meeting the needs of the surrounding schools, the renovation of the structure and redesign of the space was commissioned in 2017.

The schoolyard was cleared of above-ground structures such as skylights, a fountain and plant troughs, as well as the old insulation and pavement. The new floor was insulated and sealed to prevent water from seeping in again. On top, a 12 cm thick concrete distribution slab was installed for the trafficability of the surface. The areas adjacent to the surrounding buildings were sealed with rolled asphalt. Laid out with synthetic sports flooring, the courtyard now offers two basketball courts. The bleachers were dismantled down to their supporting structure, revised and supplemented with two covered grandstands for spectators, which extend across the entire width of the court and form a stadium-like space that can be used by the schools and the neighbourhood for recess, sports and leisure activities.

The two sunken atriums for lighting the underground halls at the ends of the square are retained. The new concrete half-frames supporting the grandstand roofs are seamlessly attached to the exterior previously non-load bearing concrete columns and are anchored back into the interior concrete girders with bolts. The carefully finished galvanized railings and the stair edges, which are accentuated with sandblasted strips, form a contrast to the raw concrete surfaces.

The two roofs, each projecting about six meters, feature very prominently from the schools. In order to protect the concrete from permeating moisture and do justice to the high visibility, the roofs were covered with the same red synthetic surface used for the basketball courts. The playing field is optically extended over the upper floors of the surrounding buildings.

Construction Management: Caretta + Weidmann, Basel

Strucutural Engineer: WMM Ingenieure, Basel

Electrical Engineer: Eplan, Reinach
Photographer: Ruedi Walti, Basel

The "former home of Sebastian Buchegger", known as Buchegger House, was built in 1907 as the first detached house of a new colony in Augsburg's Thelott neighbourhood, which is now under heritage protection as Germany's oldest garden city. Since 1995 the house has been occupied by the Architekturmuseum Schwaben (architecture museum Swabia). Because the spaces of the historic house no longer fit the museum's needs, the Arno Buchegger Foundation announced a competition for an extension in 2019.

The noble country house is situated at the northern end of a long plot between two streets. To do justice to the importance of the historic house, the extension was designed as a single-storey garden-side extension, which is a subordinate to the main building in form and material. The access to the museum via the representative main entrance of the Buchegger House remains unchanged. With the installation of an elevator, barrier-free access can be provided to all floors of the building. The spaces for the permanent exhibition, the cloakroom and toilets are located on the ground floor and first floor. The well-lit attic could be converted and used as an office space if required.

The extension connects to the house at the garden level, where there is also a meeting room with a kitchenette as well as utility and storage rooms. The elongated building extends along the boundary of the plot and its roof shape follows the topography. From the main hall for temporary exhibitions, an exit leads out into the garden, which is thus more strongly embedded into the exhibition circuit. The exhibition depot at the southern end of the extension can be accessed from the rear road without obstructing exhibition activities.

The new building is designed as a timber-frame structure with a concrete base and a copper-covered pitched roof. The ventilated wooden cladding is finished in the same green colour as the wooden trellises on the main building. The garden with its orchard will be redesigned as a kitchen garden in the Buchegger spirit of self-sufficiency and become a central element in relaying the idea of the garden city.

St. Karli school, designed by the city’s architect Karl Mossdorf and completed in 1911, stands on an artificially created plateau elevated above the street and bordered by high dry stone walls. The main access to the school is via a monumental flight of steps. The large south-facing courtyard at the top of the steps makes a desolate impression, due to the almost completely asphalted surface and the 1964 extension of the gym.

Along with the proposed renovation and extension the aim is to create more variation for the exterior space by defining areas with different functions. Chestnut trees planted along the southern edge of the plateau will provide welcome shade. A green space with sandboxes and water pools easily visible from the kindergarten is planned for the south-eastern edge. The south-western half of the courtyard will be the school playground, with a covered recreational area in the middle and playground equipment distributed along the gravelled border.

To reveal the qualities of the historic buildings, the 1964 extension with locker rooms will be demolished and the south façade of the gymnasium restored to its original appearance. Outside access will make it easier to use the gym and the new locker rooms on the first floor when the school is closed. An auditorium and a kindergarten will be located in the prolonged base in the east part of the school building. The historic window openings will be extended to the ground.

The new day-care centre will be housed in the base of the plateau. The new arched windows make the day-care activities visible from the street and reduce the monumental appearance of the castle-like school complex. A pre-existing storage area accessible from St. Karli-Strasse, currently used by the city maintenance department, will be converted into the main entrance with a cloakroom, office, bathrooms and kitchen. Adjacent rooms behind the historic stone wall will be built to house the childcare rooms, playrooms and dining rooms. Generous, south-facing windows allow plenty of daylight to enter the vaulted rooms. The new use of the plateau base will better embed the school in its neighbourhood and invigorate the directly adjoining public space.

The property is located on the western flank of the Lebanon Mountains. The area extends over 60,000 m² and is densely covered with century-old pine trees. The brief comprised two parts: a weekend house for a single individual and an independent guest house with a pool.

The construction site for the weekend house was chosen in the middle of the property in order to maximize the view without having to clear the historic pine trees. It consists of a ground floor and a basement that is half buried in the terrain. The overhanging, slightly sloping roof, with a surface area of 20x12 m, interrupts the natural slope of the topography. The west façade of the house stands on a retaining wall of natural stone, which extends around the house to the east side and encompasses a slightly elevated green area.

Inside the pavilion-like house, the program is kept to a minimum. Two enclosed volumes interrupt the open space: the first contains the kitchen, guest toilet and wardrobe, the second separates the living area from the sleeping area and contains the bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe. The height of the space is determined by the tapered roof, from the high ceilings in the dining area to the intimate and cosy bedroom.

The guest house with pool is located downhill, at the edge of the property. It is embedded in the natural topography and blends seamlessly into the hilly landscape with its natural stone façade and the subtle openings towards the valley. Averted from the weekend house, the guest rooms offer visitors maximum privacy. The 20 meter lap pool is situated on the roof of the guest house. With its infinity edge on two sides, it offers a panoramic view over the valley and the surrounding mountains.

Construction Management: Khater Contracting Group, Mansourieh

Electrical Engineer: Roger Ngeim, Beirut

Mechanical Engineer: Roger Kazopoulo, Mansourieh

Landscape Architect: Francis Landscape, Sin El Fil and Loubna Hijazi, Beirut

Photographer: Ieva Saudargaité, Beirut

House 186 in Riehen, also called “Haus zum Mohr”, is located in the middle of a green area with historic trees. Built in 1912 as a home and studio for the artist Emil Gerster and his family, the building is now part of the adjoining “Gute Herberge” residential school. The house is notable for its original lead glazing with coloured glass and coat of arms motifs, which were produced by the artist and heraldist himself, as well as the eponymous mosaic “Zum Mohr” on the front facade of the building.

The facade renovation included energy-saving measures in the area of windows and external doors to improve comfort and reduce power consumption. To preserve the historically valuable lead glazing and impair its appearance as little as possible, the renovation was carried out in strict compliance with the highest standards of historic conservation. New composite sashes with double glazing were inserted between the picture windows and the storm windows. The storm windows were repaired and repainted. The requirements for a comfortable indoor climate could thus be met without impairing the internal and external appearance of the windows.

The facades were severely damaged. The mineral plaster had been coated with a layer of synthetic resin, which interrupted natural diffusion and created a large quantity of cavities. The irrevocably destroyed plaster was removed and replaced. A new colour scheme was chosen, making the studio house stand out against the main building of the residential school and doing justice to its location in the middle of the park. 

Baumanagement: Martini Schäfer, Basel

Photographer: Alexander Gempeler, Bern

St. Johann school was planned by cantonal architect Heinrich Reese and built from 1886 to 1888 in the characteristic symmetrical style of the Neo-Renaissance. Despite several renovations in the past, the interior features were in good condition. The restoration concept therefore aimed to maintain the spatial qualities of the building and to preserve the nature of the existing surfaces, thus writing a new chapter in the building’s history instead making a hard break. For the attic conversion, however, it was necessary to define a new character.

The surface treatment was based on material and colour analyses that revealed four different periods: the original ochre-beige tones, a green, blue and red phase, a grey period and finally a return to the original colours. Starting from one of the brownish oxide-red tones of 1932, we developed various shades of red for the wooden elements. To achieve a better light reflection, the ceilings were painted white, while the corridor walls were kept in a delicate pink shade and those of the classrooms were painted in a complementary light green.

The attic is accessed via a new central staircase. The reduced room height under the roof is compensated with carefully selected surface colours and materials. The new drawing and textile rooms are naturally lit by timber-aluminium skylights. All along the knee wall, a built-in cabinet with light linoleum inlays provides storage space and individual workstations.

New building components (earthquake reinforcement, fire protection, safety measures, building services, media and electrical systems, barrier-free access) were integrated in such a way that they fulfil today’s requirements without impairing the spatial qualities of the historic building.

Construction Management: Caretta + Weidmann, Basel
Structural Engineer: WMM Ingenieure, Basel
Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG Reinach
Mechanical Engineer: Schüler + Blatter, Liestal
Photographer: Christian Kahl, Basel

The Vogesen school was built between 1993 and 1996 by Basel architects Diener & Diener. It consists of four above-ground floors and three underground floors with a gymnasium. In 1997 it was awarded the “Auszeichnung guter Bauten” (Good Buildings Award) for its urban and interior qualities. Most of the building was still in its original condition at the beginning of the construction.

In accordance with school harmonisation, the spatial requirements for a modern secondary school were to be implemented and the building energetically and technically renovated to meet current standards and laws. Two learning landscapes, consisting of learning studios, input and group rooms, as well as workstations in the corridors, were installed on all the standard floors. The main challenge here was how to deal with the rooms designed by the artist Peter Suter in different colours. The aim was to find a creative response to the new spatial and pedagogical requirements through minimal structural alterations.

The slender partition walls were carefully removed so that the original room configuration remained visible and the colour concept with its different colours for each room became even more legible. The traces on the ceilings and walls from the removal of the partitions were preserved, cleaned and painted black. The floor indentation was filled and covered with black linoleum. The space now met the new requirements without concealing its historical design.

New features include a regeneration kitchen with a dining room, a school kitchen with a theory room and several preparation and classrooms with laboratories for science lessons. Additionally, all wall surfaces were renewed, the ceilings acoustically upgraded and the media technology adapted to contemporary requirements. Throughout the building the fire protection standards were fulfilled and guardrails according to the current norms installed for all windows and roofs.

Construction Management: Caretta + Weidmann, Basel
Structural Engineer: WMM Ingenieure, Basel
Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG Reinach
Mechanical Engineer: Schüler + Blatter, Liestal
Photographer: Christian Kahl, Basel

The 350 m² apartment with a conventional floor plan is located on the fourth floor of a residential building in Beirut's Ashrafieh neighbourhood. The owners, a married couple living in Monaco and their adult children currently living in Paris and London, use the apartment as a secondary residence where they spend time together. For this purpose, they wanted the apartment to be better suited to their cosmopolitan lifestyle.

The rooms were rearranged in such a way that the representative and private parts of the apartment are clearly separated. The special focus of the commission was on the design of the reception area for social gatherings. The entrance hall with its raised ceiling and high-quality materials sets a generous and luxurious tone. The pattern of the marble floor and the diamond-shaped light bands embedded in the ceiling appear almost three-dimensional. Slits in the plastered walls provide glimpses of the living room. The accordion folding of the oak panelling conceals a wardrobe and a door leading into the private section of the apartment.

The large living room faces a backlit fireplace which extends along the entire width of the room. The brass and marble bar, the long sideboard and walls coated with shiny textured paint set additional spatial accents. Suspended ceilings, subtle material changes and the careful furnishing create a zoning of the space without obstructing it.

The bedrooms form a contrast to the open space in the representative part of the apartment. In the narrow rooms, the furnishing is reduced to the essentials. Simple, custom-made furniture offers plenty of storage space. Fitted carpets and floor-to-ceiling flowing curtains enhance the intimacy of these rooms.

Photographer: Ieva Saudargaitė, Beirut

The Maronite cemetery in Beirut is one of the few remaining green spaces in the increasingly dense city. Having a family vault here is a symbol of wealth, and a waiting list is maintained for available cemetery plots. The mausoleums and tombs are decorated in various ways with religious symbols and ornaments.

The client, the wife of a Lebanese businessman, bought a 3×3.6 m plot a few years ago. She asked us to build a new family vault for herself, her husband and her descendants, all of whom were in excellent health. We were impressed by their pragmatism towards this unusual commission. The planning process was at the same time intimate and abstract. The challenge was to plan a resting place in the sense of a “final home”.

We designed the vault as a space for meditation. A frame with two closed, as well as two open sides occupies the entire plot. The concrete structure is covered with cast stone. A recurring cross motif was implemented as an expression of the client’s deep faith. A large Latin cross made of brass is embedded in the back wall of the vault. The main supports in the roof of the pergola create a cross, whose spaces are filled with a finely lasered cast stone lattice of crosses. This creates an intricate play of light and shadow on the simple tombstone, which conceals the entrance to the underground vault. 

Built in 1912 by the Basel architect Rudolf Sandgruber for the storage of cocoa, the bulk goods silo is located on the site of the former Deutsche Bahn freight terminal in the north of the Kleinbasel district. Early on in the development of the Erlenmatt Ost neighbourhood, the Habitat Foundation decided to preserve the building as a historical testimony to the former use of the site, thus giving it an identity. The aim was to create a socio-cultural setting with a variety of uses that could be accessed and experienced by everyone.

Due to its past use as a silo, the building had to be extensively renovated, upgraded in terms of earthquake safety and equipped with technical installations. The building access, the vertical and horizontal circulation and the layout must be adapted to future space and usage requirements that remain to be defined. In addition, the building envelope must be completely redesigned to provide natural daylight to the interior spaces and comply with contemporary energy efficiency standards.

Each floor of the building has specific qualities: the large column hall with silo funnels hanging from the ceiling on the ground floor, the previously inaccessible silo chambers made of concrete columns and partition walls on the first floor and the nave-like roof truss constructed of inclined concrete girders on the second floor.

The conversion concept is based on this horizontal layering. The ground floor is occupied by a multifunctional hall and a restaurant. The facade areas along the terrace to the west will be fully glazed. The stair cases and ancillary rooms will be located along the east facade. Three scenarios are planned for the upper floors: “Studios”, “Event” and “Hostel”. The robust framework allows for a flexible adaptation to the respective spatial needs. The openings in the facade are designed according to the daylight requirements of the various programmes.

Hebel school was built from 1952 to 1953 by the Basel architects Rasser & Vadi. Two parallel classroom wings, diagonal to the street and facing south, are connected by a long, narrow wing that ends in the former gymnasium. With its clear overall organisation, direct connection to the outside spaces, generous windows, protected recess and recreation areas, cross-ventilation and attractive details, the pavilion school complied with the guidelines for child-friendly school architecture of the time. The school, which is listed in the inventory of protected buildings, had been preserved in its original form. A wooden building, erected in 1994 parallel to Langelängeweg, is also part of the school complex.

The school is characterised in particular by the contrast between its simple exterior and the intense colours of the interior. Research was undertaken in a colour study to determine the original hues, and the colour scheme for the renovation was derived from the results. The carefully executed interventions preserve the character and historical qualities of the school building.

The conversion of the former gymnasium into an auditorium required the integration of new elements into the existing building. The changing rooms were converted into a spacious foyer with sliding windows that open onto an outdoor terrace. In the art room above the home economics facilities, interior walls were removed to create an open space for a municipal library. Wheelchair access is ensured even after school hours by a new lift tower outside the building.

In addition to the energy-related retrofitting of the building shell, the insertion of new earthquake walls, various fire protection measures and technical upgrades, the brief also included adaptations to accommodate new educational formats: installations for multimedia projectors and computers with network connections; group rooms for project work with connecting doors to the classrooms; acoustic measures; teacher workstations; flexible rooms for school administration, social work, remedial teaching, etc. The requirements of the current school reform (HarmoS) could thus be met while ensuring that the best possible use will be made of this architecturally valuable school complex in the coming decades.

Construction Management / Structural Engineer: Proplaning AG, Basel
Electrical Engineer: Eplan AG, Reinach
Mechanical Engineer: Amstein + Walthert AG, Basel
Landscape Architect: mit August + Margrith Künzel Landschaftsarchitekten, Binningen
Photographer: Ruedi Walti, Basel

The cantonal high school “Im Lee” in Winterthur consists of three buildings: in addition to the main building, designed by the Pfister brothers and built from 1926 to 1928, the school complex includes the “Villa Bühlhalde” and the “Varielbau” from the 1970s, which was originally intended to be only temporary. The school activities currently taking place in the “Villa Bühlhalde” and the “Varielbau” are to be relocated to the main building. For this purpose, the attic is to be converted and the common halls adapted to be spaces for individual and group work.

The converted attic is accessed via the extension of the existing staircase. A naturally-lit corridor set off from the building’s central axis leads to the new rooms for music lessons. Due to concerns about maintaining the existing roof structure, the rooms are laid out in such a way as to ensure that the roof truss only needs to be modified near the staircases and the large music halls. The new skylights are positioned on the north side. Additional windows in the jamb walls also offer a direct view of the surroundings. The acoustic systems are tailored to their use in the respective rooms.

The spatial qualities of the large recreation halls are to be preserved in the course of the conversion. Besides the teaching-related activities, the halls offer a space for exchanges between pupils. To meet the fire safety requirements, the stairwells are separated from the halls by fire-resistant glazing. Furthermore, a new acoustic ceiling system and brighter lighting will be installed.

The existing plaster will be removed from all facades of the listed building and replaced by a mineral-based insulating plaster system. The windows from the 1980s will be replaced with new oil-painted wooden windows with triple glazing and traditional grilles. A new wood chip heating system replaces the existing oil heating, and the plumbing and electrical installations are modernised and adapted to meet the current legal stipulations. As a result, the overall energy consumption is reduced without impairing the historical appearance of the building. 

Fotograf: Walter Mair, Basel

The Ain Mereisseh neighbourhood, located in the western part of Beirut, was originally inhabited by fishermen and their families and is now an extremely popular residential area. During the reconstruction necessary after damage caused by past wars, the basic structures of buildings dating back to the 19th century have been overlaid by new buildings and other types of real estate.

The four-storey residential building in Van Dick Street was built in the 1930s and expanded to include a two-storey apartment in the early 1960s. Despite the extensive damage from the last civil war, its basic substance was still in good shape. The commission comprised completely renovating and slightly enlarging the apartment for prospective tenants.

The special features of the apartment, which is oriented to three sides, are the large reception area and the numerous terraces and balconies with their brise soleils made of concrete. The floor plan of the entrance and hallways was slightly changed during renovation, and the new, floor-to-ceiling openings in the facade provide views of the sea and the city centre. Most of the power required for air conditioning, heating, hot water, and electricity is now being generated by a separate solar energy plant. The building services and the building envelope have also been modernised.

A terrazzo floor for both the interior of the apartment and the terraces was produced locally. The material and colour of the facade were chosen so that over time they would blend in with the colour and surfaces of the buildings in the neighbourhood and thus become a natural part of it.

Photographers: Geraldine Bruneel, Paris / Dina Debbas, Beirut

The large special wing of the “Zürcher Oberland” cantonal high school was built in 1964 by the architect Max Ziegler as an extension of the original school dating from 1956. The listed school complex has already been renovated and extended several times. The impression of space inside the buildings is decisively influenced by the wide corridors, the well-lit, spacious classrooms and the two broad staircases. The rich contrast between the warm comfort of the colours and materials from the 1950s and the sober expression of those from the 1960s is striking. In the 3rd construction phase from 1985 to 1987, the surfaces were sometimes considerably changed, so that contrary to the original concept uniformity and monochromaticity now dominate.

According to the plan, the technical requirements, official stipulations and energy-saving measures are carefully integrated into the historical building. The existing architectural vocabulary is reused, recombined and supplemented with new elements. The aim is to reactivate the original quality and energy intrinsic to the house and thus to create a harmonious overall feeling that cannot be traced back to the time of its origin.

The glass wall between the auditorium and the large special wing is replaced, pushed back to align with the auditorium and the colour matched to the anthracite of the facade. A new service elevator makes all the floors wheelchair-accessible. The design of the surfaces is based on the original concept for colours and materials from the 1960s. A uniform plaster surface with flush-mounted round ceiling lights is installed on the ceilings as the new acoustic system. New aluminium skylights bring additional light into the corridors.

The west staircase is separated from the two-storey hall by fire-resistant glazing to create an escape route. For the school, this results in a new, versatile space for meetings, breaks, homework or as an alternative area for regular teaching. In the large display cabinets, illustrative material from physics, chemistry and biology can be exhibited or works of art that pupils produce in their drawing or crafts lessons. The comfortable seating areas, central lighting and improved acoustics combine to create a pleasant atmosphere detached from that of regular classrooms.

Photographer: Walter Mair, Basel

The 480m² apartment is located on the tenth floor of a new residential building in the western part of Beirut. The client, a diamond trader of Lebanese descent who lives in Antwerp, commissioned us with converting the unfinished apartment into his secondary residence. The central location as well as the exceptional view of the sea and the last remaining sandy beach in the heart of the city were decisive factors for the purchase.

The apartment was transformed into a unique and personal living space while retaining the load bearing structure and existing building services. In order to fulfil the client's request for a spacious reception area and exhibition space for his art collection on the one hand and private family quarters on the other, the floor plan of the apartment had to be significantly altered.

The small anteroom with access to the elevators was fitted with grey Italian travertine and a generous chandelier. The main entrance leads into the representative part of the apartment, which extends over its entire depth. The large loggia, which offers a view of the beach, was enclosed with glass. Bright monochrome surfaces provide an ideal backdrop for exhibiting the client’s art collection and vintage furniture.

An ebony-clad niche with sliding doors connects to the family room and a long hallway with a luminous ceiling that leads to the bedrooms. The en-suite bathrooms are finished with different materials: Statuario marble for the parents’ bathroom, Bisazza tiles in the children's bathrooms and backlit onyx in the guest bathroom.

Photographer: Astrid Challita, Beirut