Hirtenweg Housing Estate near Basel
- Frank Kaltenbach
The sculpturally designed timber facades with their Swedish red clay paint finish afford the Hirtenweg housing estate in Riehen near Basel the atmosphere of a Scandinavian holiday resort. When looking at the four new houses, the serial construction type based on spatial modules doesn’t become apparent. The vertical joints of the prefabricated elements are concealed by glued laminated timber lesenes. They curve outward underneath the deeply cantilevering roof, increasing in depth and recalling the capital of a pillar. In front of the access balconies, the lesenes become freestanding columns that provide the building volumes with an impression of weightlessness, reminiscent of filigree frame construction. The haptic qualities of the facades and the green open spaces by no means reveal that the development comprises subsidised housing. The project is part of the 1000+ housing construction program.
