herzog & de meuron to top basel shopping center with school and sports facilities

in 2017, herzog & de meuron unveiled its masterplan for basel’s dreispitz nord district in switzerland. the plans have been refined in cooperation with relevant parties over the past two years, and now look set to move ahead. the proposed project will see a middle school for 600 students situated on the roof of a shopping center. other parts of the masterplan include three residential towers, town houses, and areas for car and bicycle parking.

all images © herzog & de meuron

elevated above street level, on the green roof of the shopping center, the school will have its own sports facilities. herzog & de meuron says that the gymnasium and playing fields will be available in the evenings for sports clubs and other associations. the athletic and recreation areas will occupy only a part of the entire field, with gardens and other outdoor spaces remaining accessible to local residents and the public at all times.

‘this positive and significant decision to say ‘yes’ to the stacking of uses in the inner-city and ‘yes’ to the collaboration of institutions, private parties and the government sets a precedent for future urban developments,’ says herzog & de meuron. ‘now, the school will take on a central role in the masterplan of dreispitz nord, not only as an example of architectural densification but also exemplifying the mix of social and functional uses in the new neighborhood.’

the news was announced by the government of basel-stadt, in collaboration with the christoph merian foundation and the migros cooperative basel. the zoning plan for the entire district will be presented to local authorities in mid-2021. the team says that particular attention has been paid to traffic studies, the organization and development of parking facilities, parceling, and the distribution of uses. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

project info:

name: dreispitz nord
architect: herzog & de meuron
previous coverage: december 2017