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WOHNEN • LIVING INNERE WERTE • INNER VALUES

Foto: Paola Corsini, CH-Genf

Überdachte Gemeinschaftsterrasse im Dachgeschoss • Covered communal terrace on the top floor

Foto: Paola Corsini, CH-Genf Foto: Philip Heckhausen, CH-Zürich

Von der kleinen 1,5- bis zur großen 7,5-Zimmer-Wohnung • From the small 1.5 to the large 7.5 room flat Eingangsbereich und Rue Intérieure im Erdgeschoss • Entrance area and Rue Intérieure on the ground floor

F ounded in 1996, the Habitat Foundation is a non-profit housing developer in Basel the former Coop wine warehouse in Basel’s Lysbüchel neighbourhood tell the story of
the building in an impressive way. They have existed since the building was construc-
that is committed to providing affordable housing in a liveable, diverse environ-
ment with places to meet and work. It acquires, builds and manages houses and ted in 1955, are the most striking elements of the existing structure and form the most
develops and builds on plots of land or grants building rights. In 2013, it acquired its important starting point for the design. However, the architecturally unimportant steel-
Lysbüchel site from Coop Genossenschaft – one of the largest retail- and wholesale structure addition from the 1970s was demolished. The gutted structure of the 1950s
companies in Switzerland – and developed the Lysbüchel Süd neighbourhood there. It building remains – the two basement floors, the ground floor and three upper floors.
divided the 12,400 square metres of land into 15 plots and gave 12 of them to coope- The mushroom columns, with their strong sculptural form, are not just static! In order
ratives together with the building rights. Three plots remained with the foundation: to keep their effect tangible despite the small-scale nature of the new residential use,
Musikwohnhaus 2 was built at Lothringerstrasse 154, with 20 flats, a common room they are exposed and emphasized in various ways: Their bulky monumentality is an
and three practice rooms and 14 music rooms; a residential building is under construc- experience in itself in the flats, which lie at right angles to the direction of the building;
tion at Weinlagerstrasse 33, which will consist almost entirely of the resource-saving in the sequence, they can be felt in the two “Rues Intérieures” (inner streets) that run
building material wood, including the stairwell and lift shaft; and the former Coop wine lengthways through the entire building. The columns also form the starting point for
warehouse at Weinlagerstrasse 11, which was converted into a residential building with the internal organization of the building: although the actual urban structure is set
64 flats ranging from 1.5 to 7.5 rooms by Esch Sintzel Architekten from Zurich from 2020 by the existing building, a city within the building is created to a certain extent along
to 2023. It offers affordable living space for over 150 people. the inner streets. They not only provide access to the stairwells, the communal rooms
and the laundry rooms – above all, they also enable a variety of flat typologies (1.5- to
Mushroom columns deliberately set the scene 7.5-room flats) for all generations and lifestyles. On the mezzanine floor, the domestic
sphere is interlinked with the urban sphere – the inner street opens up here into the
A colourful sector of the city has been created on the former Lysbüchel industrial site, transverse entrance halls and invites people into the building via stairs and ramps. The
which is characterized by small-scale design, architectural diversity and residential commercial spaces and the café are located at ground level at the ends of the building
mising – a high-quality living environment for people from a wide range of family life and are much more orientated towards the city. This network of paths ends at the top
situations, social classes, income- and age groups. The mighty mushroom columns of in the common room and the collective roof terrace. Today, the mushroom columns are

116 • AIT 3.2024