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Article from issue 1+2/2006 »Concrete Construction«

Apartment block in Basel

documentation p. 36 - 40
Architect Miller & Maranta | Structural Engineer Conzett Bronzini Gartmann AG |

Drafts
1:20 Horizontal section
1:20 Vertical section
1:5 Sections
1:500 Floor plans
1:500 Section
1:6000 Site plan

The park surrounding Villa Schwarz is an important recreation space for people living on the outskirts of Basel. On this site the architects interpreted the idea of a “villa” not as a free-standing single-family house, but as an eight-storey housing block with 31 apartments. The idea of creating an “arborial structure” was important in the design.
Despite its size and volume, there is no sense of any great mass, thanks to a double-angled ground plan and the intricacy and diversity in the facade design. Built to an irregular grid, the concrete support frame for the facades is stained dark brown. The trees in the park are reflected in the storey-high windows, enhancing the integrating effect. The external blinds angle out slightly towards the bottom, thus emphasising the sculptural nature of the building volume. The self-supporting facade is a mix of both precast components and in-situ concrete. It is connected to the floor slabs only on the narrow sides. The ground floor is designed as a parterre. At its base the structure is set back slightly, this distinctive narrowing giving the building the appearance of floating above the ground.
The two foyer areas also appear spacious and light. The concrete walls in these entrance areas are colour-stained in the same way as the facade. The communications core and staircases also share the same dark coloration, creating a very introverted impression. Inside the apartments, however, the mood changes completely. The almost fully glazed facades open up the space to the surrounding park.
On the west side, looking into the park, are loggias and rooms that can be used for a variety of functions. The living rooms on the standard floors extend across the whole depth of the building. From the east-facing rooms there is a view over the adjacent stream. The 5?1/2-roomed apartements at the ends have daylight from three sides: out on the loggia the impression of living in the park is strongest. From here you can even smell the trees.