Harry Gugger Studio

Description

The newly developed Erlenmattpark quarter in Basel is home to a former silo building for grain and cocoa beans from 1912. It is a warehouse that has now been transformed into a multifaceted work and meeting place. This includes affordable project rooms and studios for artists, craftsmen and service providers, as well as, at the heart of the project, a hostel and a restaurant. The overall aim is to create and promote diversity. The originally freestanding silo is now integrated into a row of buildings along the Signalstrasse. Noise pollution from the motorway, high sustainability goals and the inner spatial organisation characterise the project. The aim was to respect the existing structure and the nature of the building and to keep changes to an absolute minimum. For this reason, the characteristic silo chambers have been preserved. They give a familiar scale to the building and its new functions. The installation of only two new slabs and distribution cores enables the desired new functions to be accommodated. Porthole-like windows now provide ventilation, daylight and views without affecting the original tectonics of the façade. The hostel rooms are located on the first and second floors on the street side. The studios are located on the same floors on the courtyard side. On the ground floor, the seminar rooms face the street and the restaurant opens on to the public courtyard with an outdoor seating area.