If you’re into architecture, you may know this already: the new extension being built at Fondation Beyeler is designed by Peter Zumthor.
My own private Zumthor. I’ve been taking snaps as construction progresses.
One good thing is that it will open access to another park that was private up to now.
Photos of the Beyeler Museum in Riehen, Basel-Stadt.
then, i took part in this velo tour organized by the Swiss Architecture Museum and Open House Basel https://t.co/f6i17eQMqx
— ?…Collect this tweet (@nchenga) May 19, 2019
I took part in a bicycle tour of public spaces and buildings in Basel. A highlight.
Some snapshots taken at the Lucerne train station. Santiago Calatrava designed the entrance hall of the Lucerne train station.
Looking up at Messeplatz
Some architecture snapshots of a church built in the mid sixties. Unfortunately the door was closed so I’ll have to go back for the glass windows.
Instead of watching Tatort, I went for a short jog combined with lots of walking. I am still not back in my jogging routine. Yet.
But I am enjoying being outside. It was so beautifully warm today.
And. It is a good way to reflect.
Time for mind blogging.
I like being outdoors.
I really like living in Switzerland. I think it is great that people take such meticulous care of their houses and gardens.
This afternoon I went to see “Wien 1900 ”“ Klimt, Schiele und ihre Zeit” at the Beyeler Museum. I liked the architecture and poster designs. And Klimt’s landscapes.
I didn’t like the additional shopping area they added for Wien 1900 merchandise. One shop is enough.
A couple of Wikipedia links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Schiele
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt
You’ve probably heard of poetry slams. But there are also science slams: 10 mins to present your research project. There is one in Freiburg im Br. on 29th November and 17th January. I would love to go and see one.
The incredibly influential a. of Handmade 2.0 invited me to a new web app called Pinterest. We have been blogging since January 2003. And it has been an incredible journey…. Thank you a. for the billions of emails, links and ideas. I am truly amazed at the amount of data we have collected.
I am still trying to figure out how to use Facebook as can be seen occasionally in my tweets. I worry that a platform like Facebook could replace the web. That would be the end of HTML pages, simplicity, transparency and diversity.
That’s why it’s important to support and use other platforms and tools. Try out WordPress and Drupal. Learn HTML. Write your own articles. Voice your opinion. Become involved. Think before you click re-tweet, like or comment.
It is my belief that after the fragmentation of the media scene and citizen journalism and the removal of the gatekeepers, we will see consolidation and the rise of new media giants with new gatekeepers.
I stumbled across a list of places to see in Basel (link now broken) and decided to venture out and have a look at some of the listed architecture.
Freidorf Residential Estate (1920) by Hannes Meyer in Muttenz near Basel
Antoniuskirche (1927), near Kannenfeldplatz, Basel by Karl Moser
I really like this church building. It feels very modern. The stained glass windows are exceptional. Highly recommended. More background info is available at Wikipedia.
Kraftwerk Birsfelden / Power Station (1955) by Hans Hoffmann in Birsfelden near Basel
St. Alban-Tal Housing (1984 to 88) by Diener & Diener at St. Alban-Rheinweg 94 in Basel
Schaulager (2003) by Herzog and de Meuron in Münchenstein near Basel
Breite Zentrum (2004), Zürcherstr. 149, 4052 Basel
The Breite Hotel was designed by Larghi and Stula. More details on the design can be found on the hotel’s website. The hotel manager was very friendly and would have shown me a room. Unfortunately all rooms were taken due to the watch and jewellery trade fair.
Residential Housing in a former factory (2005) by Buol and Zünd at Oetlingerstrasse 69 in Basel
This building proved difficult to find as the former factory is located behind an apartment building in Klein-Basel withia an inner courtyard. But it is an instant fave. I would love to live in a building like this. Well worth the search time…
Apartment House in Riehen (2009) by Pedrocchi Meier Architekten at Hinterwenkenweg 3 in Riehen near Basel
I am not such a fan of all the corners but it does look very spacious and the location is great:
School cafeteria by HHF
Gymnasium Kirschgarten
Hermann Kinkelin-Strasse 10
4051 Basel
Further details:
The city of Basel publishes this architectural guide.
Update: new building to see in Allschwil: the corporate headquarters of Actelion by Herzog and de Meuron:
Update no. 2:
Another building to see is Ackermannshof:
HdM: Basel is Herzog and de Meuron City.
Central signal box
Südpark by Herzog and de Meuron.
Messe Basel
Herzog and de Meuron archive and apartment building, Dreispitz
Another HdM construction in Basel-Stadt is the natural water swimming pool in Riehen. I really like the pool and it reminds me of old wooden lidos.
New in 2016: Kunstmuseum by Gantenbein and Christ.
And at night: Looks like there are LED lights in the walls. The museum opened in April 2016.
And another view of the new wing of Kunstmuseum by Gantenbein and Christ:
Opening in 2019: Meret Oppenheim building by Herzog and de Meuron.
Baloise Park:
Before I moved to Switzerland I read an article discussing the idea or rather the vision of Switzerland being one metropolitan area with ultra-fast trains zipping to and fro between the commercial centres.
Recently this topic has filtered through to me again. I’m assuming that in a specialized context it has been discussed all along.
As I mentioned in one of my Flickr comments, the urban area around Basel will probably continue to grow and it would better if cities and towns cooperated on important regional issues such as traffic, public transport, waste disposal, city planning and education.
In October I took part in an interesting architecture tour called Birsstadt, which discussed and highlighted the importance of regional vs town assembly planning and management.
But I’m just a private person noticing a trend and commenting…
As seen previously on my Flickr stream, I stumbled across this poster:
I took part in two architecture tours this weekend organized by Architektur Dialoge as part of the Les Journées de l’Architectures.
Birsstadt
I’ve uploaded a couple of snapshots of yesterday’s tour through Basel-Land. It was “off the beaten track” and lots of fun. During the tour we got a sense of the upcoming challenges as the various municipalities continue to grow and expand from a city planning point of view.
Today’s tour will have to wait til tomorrow…
Saw the play “Angst” at Theater Basel. It’s a kind of like a mashup with glimpses of 3 separate households on one stage, which then interweave towards the end. Entertaining. But it is not really deep or philosophical or thought-provoking. Covers all types of fear…
Saw the movie “The Namesake”. Sad and moving. Great mood. A topic I can relate to. Recommended.
Went to Grönemeyer’s concert in Bern. Fun.
Went to the Schaulager exhibition on Robert Gober (sinks, sinks, sinks). And to see the architecture of the Herzog & de Meuron building.
Prefab house designed by Jean Prouvé in 1951.
