Whoever says A must also say B …

… is what every child discovers when learning the alphabet during the first weeks of school. This year, the students at the Wasgenring Primary School in Basel are learning that B sometimes precedes A. The B wing extension has just been put into operation as a new building for handicraft lessons. This will be followed in the summer by the A wing with an auditorium, day structure, classrooms and special rooms.
The existing listed school complex from the 1950s and 1960s – an early work by Fritz Haller – is one of the outstanding buildings of post-war modernism. Designed in the style of open-air schools, it consists of two-story pavilions connected by arcades in a park-like setting.

Richter Tobler Architects are adding the five-story Tract A and the two-story Building B to the ensemble. They are being supported here by the structural engineers from Lüchinger+Meyer, who have been involved in the project since the competition. The implementation of the design “the same but different” was interrupted in the meantime. Since the number of students had increased in the meantime, the planning had to be adapted to the new requirements in 2016. Provision was made for additional space requirements in the future: the planning of the wing takes into account the option of adding an additional upper floor at a later date.
The Minergie Eco criteria are implemented in the materialization of both new buildings.

(Photos: Roman Weyeneth)