Living and Office Space »Volta-Zentrum« in Basel, Switzerland

As the centrepiece of the newly designed neighbourhood outside of St. Johann, in the north of Basel, the powerful Volta-Zentrum’s exposed concrete building is a stand-out landmark in the city. Many of the outside walls of the building are created as white insulated concrete walls. The photo gallery shows the impressions from the space situation, the façade and the exposed concrete surfaces. Architects: Buchner Bründler Architects, Basel, Switzerland

The body of the building, which creates maximum use of the building windows with its triangle shape, surprises with very different facades that react to the respective surrounding urban areas. These lend it a changing effect. The sharp contours of the square’s façade face St Johann’s station – the central point for local public transport. The angled face at the north of the station’s square give the building a dynamic effect from different perspectives. The northern façade, by contrast, transitions in sculptured folds into the neighbouring residential area. The rounded corner of the building in the northeast corresponds with the form of the adjacent building, but its uniform concrete insulation exterior sets it apart the other constructions materiality. The ensemble of tram stop, spatial design and Volta-Zentrum gives the area a new identity with its strong and changeable appearance.