The Wehrli primary school was built by Zurich architect Erwin Schoch after a competition in 1950-52. The complex, which is typical of its time, comprises a classroom wing, a housekeeping wing, a kindergarten and a gymnasium. The well-preserved complex is characterized by a large amount of original building fabric and is expected to become listed shortly. After around 70 years of operation, it will be subject to operational improvements as well as a renovation with a focus on structure and energy saving in close consultation with the City of Kreuzlingen and the Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments.

The tender proposed locating the teachers' rooms in the classrooms of wing 2 and adding an extension to the west side of the gymnasium with two additional classrooms. MET Architects' entry instead proposes a restoration of the original typology and use of space to protect the historic complex: The scattered utilitarian additions would be removed and the east-facing rooms in both main wings could once again be used for classroom teaching. With new doors, they can be connected to each other, thus achieving a high degree of flexibility in use. The library will be relocated to the large, well-lit room at the end of wing 2, and the wide corridors will be used for fixed group workstations.

Three possible locations were developed from the original building logic for the additional space required for teachers' rooms. In the first option, the janitor's apartment is converted for the teachers' rooms with only a minimum of alterations. The floor plan provides flexible and diverse spaces for meetings, workstations and a teachers' lounge. The second option proposes a glazed wooden structure with a monopitch roof in place of the bicycle shelter in the center between the two wings. The recess hall becomes a convenient waiting area and informal meeting place between teachers and students or parents as part of contemporary school operations. In the third option, a flexibly subdividable teachers' room is added to the extension on the west side of the gymnasium. The access to the annex is turned into a weather-protected spectator area for activities on the playground by adding new benches. After school hours, this space can be made available to the surrounding neighborhood.

The interior design of the Wehrli primary school complex is characterized by finely crafted details and a differentiated color scheme. The existing materials and color combinations are revised with respect to their history in order to create a contemporary, cheerful learning atmosphere. New components, motifs, and materials are developed from the historical elements and inserted as recognizably contemporary elements into the overall appearance.

Die 1970 fertiggestellte Kantonsschule Rämibühl ist das architektonische Hauptwerk von Eduard Neuenschwander. Die damals grösste Schulanlage der Schweiz liegt in einer Parkanlage am südöstlichen Ende des Hochschulquartiers in Zürich. Sowohl die Schulbauten als auch die Parkanlage sind im kantonalen Inventar der schützenswerten Bauten von überkommunaler Bedeutung aufgeführt. Die Lebensdauer der Schulanlage soll mit einer Gesamtinstandsetzung um weitere 30-50 Jahre verlängert werden. Dafür soll die Gebäudehülle energetisch optimiert, die Tragstruktur bezüglich Erdbebensicherheit instandgesetzt, aktuelle Brandschutznormen erfüllt, die Gebäudetechnik sowie die Elektro- und Lichtinstallationen erneuert und die inneren Oberflächen instandgesetzt werden. Die betriebliche Neuorganisation von drei Schulen auf zwei bringt zusätzlich strukturelle Anpassungen mit sich. Anhand des 1. Obergeschosses des LG/RG-Trakts zeigten die eingeladenen Planerteams auf, wie die denkmalgeschützten Gebäude mit einer ganzheitlichen Lösung ertüchtigt werden können, um den Anforderungen einer zeitgemässen Schule gerecht zu werden. Das Konzept von MET Architects leitet sich aus der detaillierten Analyse des Bestandes her. Die energetisch-nachhaltige Optimierung der historisch wertvollen Bausubstanz erfolgt über drei technisch Ansätze: die recycelte Gebäudehülle, den technischen Brandschutz und die dezentrale Lüftung. Neue Elektro- und Medientechnik wird so integriert, dass der Bestand nicht beeinträchtigt wird.

Das gewünschte Raumprogramm wird in den bereits angelegten Zonen untergebracht, die zu diesem Zweck mit wenig strukturellen Eingriffen bereinigt werden. Anstelle der Mediothek im 1. Obergeschoss wird die Erschliessungszone zur Fassade hin geöffnet und dank dem Tageslicht und dem Bezug zum Aussenraum zusätzlich aufgewertet. Die transparente und frei unterteilbare Lernzone entlang der Südwestfassade bietet Platz für alternative Unterrichtsformen.

Die verschiedenen Lernatmosphären werden massgeblich durch die Geometrie und Ausrichtung der Räume geprägt. Im Sinne Eduard Neuenschwanders wird die Korridorwand in ihren unterschiedlichen Artikulierungen mit Spinden, Vitrinen, Schaufenstern, halbhohen Theken und Verglasungen zum zentralen Gestaltungselement. In der Materialisierung richtet sich das Instandsetzungskonzept nach der Sorgfältigkeit des Originals: Charakteristische beige Nadelfilzteppiche, akustisch wirksame Holzfaserplatten, Sichtbetonelemente, verputzte Wände mit unterschiedlichen Körnungen und Wände in den von Karl Schmid bestimmten Farben schaffen den ruhigen und robusten Hintergrund für den bunten Schulalltag.

Die Berufsfachschule (BFS) Basel ist ein Zentrum für die berufliche Bildung in den Bereichen Detailhandel, Hauswirtschaft, Mode und Gestaltung sowie Soziales. Der Schulbetrieb verteilt sich an der Kohlenberggasse in Basel auf zwei Gebäude: den Hauptbau des Basler Architekten Hans Bernoulli von 1916 und den schmalen, sechsgeschossigen «Hangbau» des Zürcher Architekten Bernhard Weiss von 1960. 2016 konnten MET Architects das Planerwahlverfahren für die Sanierung des Theatersaals in den Untergeschossen des Hangbaus für sich entscheiden.

Die Bausubstanz und die betriebliche Ausstattung des Theatersaals waren altersbedingt verbraucht. Die Sanierung umfasste bauliche Anpassungen an aktuelle Nutzungsbedürfnisse sowie Sicherheits- und Brandschutznormen, den Ersatz der haus- und elektrotechnischen Infrastruktur inklusive Bühnen- und Medientechnik, und die Erneuerung sämtlicher innerer Oberflächen und Ausstattungsgegenstände. Zukünftig sollte der im Zentrum der Stadt liegende Theatersaal der Berufsfachschule für umliegende Schulen und ausserschulische Anlässe mit bis zu 400 Personen zur Verfügung stehen.

Mit einem Minimum an baulichen Eingriffen und einer neuen Materialauswahl und Farbgebung konnten die erbauungszeitlich sehr zweckmässig gestalteten Räume in eine zeitgemässe Theateratmosphäre umgewandelt werden. Die ursprüngliche Grosszügigkeit der beiden Foyers war durch den Einbau eines Aufzugs stark beeinträchtigt worden. Mit der gezielten Ergänzung weniger Wandstücke und der farblichen Vereinheitlichung wurden die Foyers räumlich aufgewertet. Im Theatersaal wurde die Öffnung der Guckkastenbühne zu Gunsten des neuen Notausgangs leicht verschoben und zusammen mit den beiden Zugangstreppen der Vorbühne optisch im Raum zentriert. Die Lüftung und Beleuchtung wurden in eine abgehängte Decke mit Rautenrelief integriert, die die Raumakustik für unterschiedliche Bespielungen gewährleistet. Die für die höhere Personenbelegung notwendige Fluchttreppe führt als halbgewendelte Betontreppe durch den Bühneneingang am Steinenbachgässlein direkt ins Freie. Der Balkon wurde an aktuelle Sicherheitsnormen angepasst, indem die Brüstung erhöht und seitlich und zur Bühne ein umlaufendes Geländer in Metall ergänzt wurde. Statt aus der Mitte sind die Sitzreihen nun über Treppen auf beiden Seiten zugänglich.

Die ursprüngliche, vorwiegend aus Grautönen bestehende Farbgestaltung konnte die Erwartungen an ein öffentliches Theater nicht erfüllen und musste neu entwickelt werden. Das erbauungszeitliche Wandbild «Zwei Musen» von Karl Aegerter und die bestehende Ausstattung und Möblierung wurden aufgefrischt bzw. erneuert und in das Gesamtbild integriert. Die neue Bühnen- und Medientechnik deckt ein Nutzungsspektrum von einfachen Funktionen für den täglichen Schulbetrieb bis hin zur technisch anspruchsvollen Durchführung von Konzerten und Theatervorstellungen ab. Mit der Sanierung wurde das Schultheater in einen innerstädtischen Veranstaltungsort für eine breite Öffentlichkeit transformiert.

Baumanagement: Martini Schäfer Baumanagement GmbH, Basel
Elektroplanung: Eplan AG Elektroengineering, Reinach
Akustik: Martin Lienhard, Büro für Bau- und Raumakustik, Lärmschutz
Fotograf: Ruedi Walti, Basel

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 Dietikon industrial school, built in 1967-1970 by Georges Künzler, is currently used by the Educational Center Limmattal (Bildungszentrum Limmattal BZLT) as a vocational school. In addition to 26 classrooms, it includes a gymnasium, a cafeteria, a library and a parking garage. The cubic building is characterized by its reduced and functional design, the distinctive window bands and the lamellar concrete facade. As an important representative of the late sixties, it is listed as a supramunicipal heritage site. After 50 years of operation, various parts of the building have reached the end of their lifespan. In the course of an overall renovation, current sustainability, building technology and fire protection guidelines are to be met, barrier-free accessibility is to be ensured, the indoor climate in the classrooms is to be improved and the teaching space is to be optimized for contemporary school activities.

The existing elevator shaft on the north side and the attached toilets on the first floor will be removed. The transport of goods and the barrier-free access to all floors will be provided by a new elevator on the south side of the floor plan. The new access core will be complemented by new restroom facilities and a new emergency staircase on all upper floors. EI30 glazing of the balustrade walls at the central ceiling opening on the 3rd floor avoids fire protection requirements for atriums and allows for a new learning studio with a variety of spatial situations: classroom-sized workshops" around the wind braces in the north; smaller, glass-separated coworking spaces for group work in the south; an open central studio area that can be subdivided in a flexible way with curtains, partitions or with furniture, and individual workstations around the glazed atrium.

The building envelope will receive new interior mineral insulation in the balustrade zone, triple-glazed aluminum windows, and a motorized sunshade. Further measures for energy optimization include heat generation with district heating, a PV system on the green roof, controlled mechanical ventilation of the building and energy-saving lighting with daylight and presence control. The roof and terrace areas will be newly sealed and insulated. All electrical installations will be replaced and the demand for electricity as well as the requirements for data transmission will be covered with a fine-meshed network of sockets, UKV connections and access points.

The color and material concept is based on the subdued palette of the historic model. In the learning studio, a wooden countertop is installed around the atrium. Glass partitions visually extend the space to the horizon. The use of semi-transparent colored curtains as flexible room dividers lends the monochromatic space a light and cheerful atmosphere.

The Wirtschaftsgymnasium in Basel's St. Alban neighborhood was designed by cantonal architect Julius Maurizio and 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 kindergarden in the former janitor's apartment 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 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 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. 

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 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 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