Description
There were two options for enlarging the SUVA Basel branch: demolition of the existing 1950’s building to give way for an entirely new building or an addition making use of the corner site. The retention of the old building gave rise to the solution of a glass enclosure covering both new (offices and apartments) and old building.
The enclosure system consists of horizontal glass strips of different optical and physical qualities. The transparent panels in the viewing section of the offices can be individually operated, and add to the acoustic insulation of the existing windows. The panels within the parapet section bear silk-screened images while the prismatic panels in the upper window area improve the building’s insulation and protect it from the sun. The silk-screened panels are operated by a computer.
The glass enclosure unites old and new into an acute corner building giving it a coherent urban presence. At the same time, the transparency and operation of the glass panels reveal the configuration as a conglomerate of two volumes. This permutation of appearances is an important characteristic of a number of Herzog & de Meuron’s projects and buildings.
Herzog & de Meuron, 1995
People
Architect
Civil Engineer
Client
Schweizerische Unfallversicherungsgesellschaft Luzern, Kreisagentur Basel
Owner
Time & Place
Status
built
Date
01/01/1993
Address
Basel, Switzerland
Specifications
Floors
Floors: 6
Height
Height: 18.9
Staircases
Units per Staircase
Units per Floor
Units
Unit Area
Plot Area
Floor Area Typical
Area Total
Podium Area
Courtyard Area
Ground floor Area
Residents
Parking Spaces
Taxonomy
Organisation
4 appartments
Material
Reinforced concrete
Structure
reinforced concrete bearing walls, reinforced concrete frame
Usage
Housing, Office
Tags
glass facade, office