Raise high the roof: With sleight of hand, the Basel-based architects built upon an esteemed institution in the heart of their city's historic district.
An architectural tour of Basel and its environs reveals no fewer than 21 completed buildings by the office of natives Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, with a major addition to the city's convention center and a 213-foot office tower for Novartis slated for 2013 and 2015 completion, respectively.
This verdant corner of Switzerland, known for its patronage of contemporary art and architecture, has been fertile ground for the architects, allowing them the freedom to hone their exhaustive palette of bold strategies and materials through a range of projects, including the twisted, copper-clad Central Signal Box (1999), built for the Swiss Federal Railway, and the whimsically stacked VitraHaus (2009) in nearby Weil am Rhein, Germany. However, when the firm was tapped to upgrade the Museum der Kulturen (Museum of Cultures) in Basel's medieval historic center, preservation issues nearly compromised its typical design autonomy. A thoughtful tribute to the city the partners grew up in, their surprising solution resonates with a confidence and restraint that pays homage to the past with a clear vision toward the future.
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