Superdraft Studio

Description

Eulerstrasse in Basel’s city centre is an intact heritage-protected street from the turn of the last century. The listed building was extended in 1939 and refurbished in the 1970s, introducing changes to the house and its façade in a fairly insensitive manner. The starting point for the renovation was therefore reconstructing the original façade, which was carried out in 2017 by Superdraft Studio. As a further step, the interior reorganisation of the commercial spaces on the ground floor and the residential storeys above followed in 2021. The existing office space on the ground floor was extended by incorporating the garden-access basement and is now arranged around a centrally positioned functional core. The ambition for the living area, beginning on the first floor, was to recombine and reorganise the rooms. The requirements of historic preservation provided the framework of possibilities for the renovation. The floor above, built in the 1970s, is not listed, which creates the basis for larger interventions. Inspired by the artist and architect Gordon Matta-Clark, three spacious openings were cut into the ceiling to connect the living areas vertically. A wooden slat structure varying in height binds the floors together and becomes a space-defining element. It starts with a meandering staircase railing and is then continued in the attic. Unique spatial sequences are created across the floors with a varied interplay of light and shadow that allows the rooms to constantly be experienced in new ways.