School with a view
The team around Hosoya Schaefer Architects is the winner of the competition for the extension and renovation of the primary school “Christoph Merian” in Basel. The façade planners from Lüchinger+Meyer are looking forward to this great success and to future project planning.
The extension building is characterised by exceptional transparency – in particular due to the façade design with large-format glass panels – and at the same time provides a view of the fine structure of the supporting structure. This concern was pursued down to the last detail: For example, the metal windows are integrated into the primary wooden supporting structure and only show their original materiality in selected areas.
This was ultimately appreciated by the jury: “The delicate structure of existing and new buildings manifests itself in the expression of the façade. While the existing building is being renovated with a self-supporting concrete façade, the building structure determines the appearance of the new building. The tectonics of the façade show the internal structure, consisting of concrete base and overlying wooden building with room-high glazing”.
