Museum Jean Tinguely, Basel, Switzerland 1993 - 1996

Project: 1993
Construction: 1994-1996
Client: Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel
Construction management: GSG Baucontrol, Basel
Site area: park 28'450 m²
Useful surface: 6’057 m², of which 2’866 m² for exhibition purposes
Volume: 54’150 m³

The museum is set along the eastern side of the 19th-century Solitude Park, facing the Rhine River and at the end of a motorway bridge. Thus, the building is an attempt to redesign the urban void between the 20th-century fabric of the city and the edge of the motorway.  Each building front responds in a different way to the prevailing urban conditions. On the east, next to the traffic lane, the building’s massive wall and elevated volume are shaped to create a barrier protecting the museum’s area. On the west side, facing the park, the volume opens towards the garden with a wide portico, characterized by a series of arches. The north side provides a covered entrance to the park and the museum. The south front faces the river with a strong formal element: a slightly curved glass walkway takes the visitor along the magnificent river view before entering the galleries. The itinerary through the exhibition spaces on four different levels ends in the large open space on the ground floor.