Conversion and extension of the hospital St Claraspital
Basel, Switzerland
Competition 1st prize 2013
Project and execution 2014-2018
St Clara-
spital.
Overview
Client
St Claraspital, Basel, Switzerland
Architecture
BFB Architekten, Zurich, Switzerland
Team ZPF
Konstantinos Adamakos, Taylan Beyaşahin, Enrico Cristini, Heike Egli-Erhart, Ana Maria Eigenmann, Antje Käser Wassmer, Luis Looser, Franck Mahler, Helmuth Pauli, Susanne Peterson, Manuel Wehrle, Andreas Zachmann
In the first construction phase for the conversion and extension of the hospital St Claraspital (north layout), a clear, open and inviting front zone is being created on the north side. Not only is this new front zone being given very special amenity value, but St Claraspital's historical facade is also being revealed again so that it can appear with new radiance and a modern entrance area with a spacious cafeteria is being built, as well as a new chapel.
The building is also getting an additional extension in the form of an underground structure in the front zone on Kleinriehenstrasse. Modernising infrastructural elements such as kitchen, cloakrooms etc. and shifting them to this basement floor frees up valuable space on the upper floors for treatment and nursing wards. The technical rooms are also being modernised and laid out accordingly.
The ground floor and the original entrance area on the 1st upper floor, the so-called marble hall, are being joined together in the middle of the facade. This produces an open two-storey room with a special atmosphere – the new hospital cafe, as a meeting place. The new chapel is being rebuilt, on a somewhat smaller scale, inside the building at the same place on the 2nd floor.
On the basement floor beneath the area in front of the hospital, the new kitchen is being built. Interior courtyards and skylights provide daylight and establish a relationship with the outside, resulting in bright and friendly work areas. On the 2nd basement floor, the technical centre is being completely modernised. The power supply and emergency power supply are being upgraded to state-of-the-art technology. For the new underground structure accommodating the technical centre and kitchen, the main building was spectacularly underpinned. The opening-up of the marble hall also necessitates sophisticated support systems. All work is kept as vibration-free as possible and carried out while the hospital is running.