Felippi Wyssen Architekten

Description

A four-storey centrally arranged apartment house was built in a back courtyard in Kleinbasel. The courtyard house contains eight maisonette apartments with arcade access. While the four lower apartments benefit from direct access to the garden and the green inner courtyard, the four residential units on the second level enjoy views of the courtyard. The industrial look of the steel structure in front of the building recalls its former commercial use as a garage. A stairwell on the side and a free-standing elevator define the outdoor space. The courtyard is completely planted with greenery, with trees, isles with shrubs, lawns, and green courtyard walls and side façades creating an idyllic garden area. When developing the 3.5-room apartments, the question of how much space an apartment needs was raised frequently. Very slim walls and multifunctional access areas resulted in small maisonette apartments with a living space of 60 square metres in which two people can live comfortably (living space per person = 30 square metres). The apartments are separated from each other by exposed concrete walls and ceilings. Due to the limited space in the back courtyard, all elements were designed to be as compact as possible and reduced to a minimum, with raw materials taking centre stage. The interior was thus finished with 42-millimetre-thick three-layer panels. Optimal accessibility to the bathrooms is ensured by two door leaves that open outward toward the staircase opposite.