Housing and Business Development with Seniors’ Residence in Basle
- Florian Köhler
In 2003, with the construction of a shopping mall that links Basle station with the urban district to the south of the railway line, the dynamic expansion of the Gundeldingen quarter began. The “Südpark” building complex by Herzog & de Meuron, which forms a further important element in the development of this area, comprises a ten-storey high-rise block with shops and offices plus a retirement home for senior citizens. The rectangular window openings seem to be scattered irregularly over the matt silvery facade, and the building volumes interact in various ways with the different levels of the road and the railway line. What’s more, along the set-back north and west faces of the ensemble, open spaces have been created with recreational uses.
