031 Apartment and Office Building Schwitter

Process

In 1931, a round building was already situated on the corner parcel.

The Schlotterbeck garage near the Basel main station has meanwhile been demolished; it used to be another poignant round structure in Basel.

Towards the street intersection, the facade becomes more dynamic: the spherical arc of the terraces and the jolted curve of the building volume meet one another.

The building is terminated with a loggia tract towards the back street. The almost shell-like end of the building underlines the serial character of the facade elements.

The strictly serial facade structure with prefabricated elements has a predecessor in the Basel college by Hans Bernoulli.

Prefabricated and colored concrete elements vary the theme of the circle and provide the facade with a graphic clarity: the gray concrete ribs remind one of gradual lines, the greenish concrete panels of segments of a circle. The curve of the facade is enhanced by the rectangular shutter box on the first floor.

Circular dynamic in the elliptic stairway and the terrace-like access ways of the apartments held by the open loggia tract.

Drawings

Team

Partners: Jacques Herzog; Pierre de Meuron
Project Team: Annette Gigon (Project Architect)

Facts

Client: Horat Generalunternehmung AG
Planning: General Planning: Horat Generalunternehmung AG; Construction Management: Horat Generalunternehmung AG; Structural Engineering: Cyrill J. Burger AG, Basel, Switzerland; Structural Engineering: Gysin & Ehrsam AG, Pratteln, Switzerland
Specialist / Consulting: Concrete Elements Consulting: Brodtbeck AG, Pratteln, Switzerland

Bibliography

Fernando Márquez Cecilia, Richard Levene (Eds.): “El Croquis. Herzog & de Meuron 1981-2000. Between the Face and the Landscape. The Cunning of Cosmetics. Entre el Rostro y el Paisaje. La Astucia de la Cosmética.” 2nd adv. and rev. ed. Vol. No. 60+84, Madrid, El Croquis, 2005.

Wilfried Wang: “Herzog & de Meuron.” 3rd adv. and rev. ed. Basel / Boston / Berlin, Birkhäuser, 1998. (= Studiopaperback).

Gerhard Mack, Herzog & de Meuron: “Herzog & de Meuron 1978-1988. Das Gesamtwerk. Band 1. The Complete Works. Volume 1.” Edited by: Gerhard Mack. Basel / Boston / Berlin, Birkhäuser, 1997. Vol. No. 1.

Martin Steinmann: “Das!. Zu zwei neuen Werken.” In: Verlegergemeinschaft Werk, Bauen + Wohnen (Ed.). “Werk, Bauen + Wohnen. Die 60er, danach und heute. Les Années 60, après et aujourd’hui. The Sixties – Results and Influences.” Vol. No. 9, Zurich, Wohnen+Bauen GmbH, 09.1989. pp. 44-57.

Carl Fingerhuth: “Architektur als soziale Werke.” In: Verlegergemeinschaft Werk, Bauen + Wohnen (Ed.). “Werk, Bauen + Wohnen. Entscheiden über Architektur. Les décision en Architecture. Architectural Decisions.” Vol. No. 3, Zurich, Verlag Bauen + Wohnen GmbH, 03.1988. p. 44-57.