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FHNW campus

More than elsewhere, the important public functions in the Basel city region set vertical accents. From a distant view, this is reflected in an urban landscape whose poles express the importance of the institutions and the territorial reference network of landmarks in equal measure. The new building of the FHNW is part of this network. In the row of massive commercial buildings at the Muttenzer Gleisfeld, the cubic structure forms a dominant end; in front of it are a representative square and a park. The latter is both a reception area for those arriving and a recreation zone for the school and the community.

Building owner

Hochbauamt Basel-Landschaft
Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz

Finalization

2018

Architecture
pool Architekten
Takt Baumanagement AG
Specialist planning

General contractor: HRS
Building services:

Kalt + Halbeisen Ingenieurbüro AG
Floor space

65.000 m²

Das Gebäude hat die From eines Würfels. 14 Geschosse. Die untersten Geschosse sind mit einer weitestgehend undurchsichtigen Fassade bekleidet. Dann folgt ein vollverglastes Geschoss und darüber weitere 10 Geschosse mit gleichgroßen, raumhohen Fensterelementen.
betonsuisse
Thermal activated building
Thermal activated building
Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency
Storage mass
Storage mass

The municipality of Muttenz (BL) on the outskirts of Basel has been experiencing steady growth for years. The Polyfeld, a former industrial area northwest of the train station, contributes significantly to this development. Between the shunting yard, a transformer station and multi-storey commercial and residential buildings, the cubic FHNW Campus has been rising since autumn 2018 and sets an important urban accent on the Polyfeld.

The 14-story new building with basement of the FHNW Campus Muttenz forms the eastern end of a commercial area along the railway tracks and the transition to the residential area. It unites the five departments of architecture, life sciences, education, social work and mechatronics under one roof. The cube of the FHNW Campus measures 70 by 63 by 64 meters. The reinforced concrete building is encased in a bronze-colored facade of anodized aluminum and glass. The delicate grid structure of the façade shows a certain restraint and refuses to make a grand gesture, but provides information about the inner structure of the school building. Above the first floor, which is glazed on all sides, are two closed levels with lecture halls. Above this is the third floor, again completely glazed, with the library. This forms a kind of caesura and leads over to nine standard floors with a narrow row of windows.

The FHNW Campus complies with the energy values of "Minergie P Eco". A large part of the heating energy is provided by the building itself. With thermoactive component systems (TABS), which manage with a flow temperature of 21°C all year round, heat is absorbed in the interior rooms and in the laboratories and transferred to the exterior rooms. Thanks to low heating temperatures and high cooling temperatures, the largest possible proportion of waste heat from the ammonia refrigeration machines can be reused in the building via heat recovery. Only when heating requirements are very high is heating energy from the "Polyfeld Muttenz" district heating network used for peak coverage. The district heating network obtains heating energy from the waste heat of a company that produces cooking oil.

In der Mitte des großen Foyers, welches sich über die gesammte Gebäudehöhe öffnet, steht ein Betonpfeiler. Dieser ist gegossen mit Baumscheiben und großen Steinen an den Oberflächen.
Open House Basel
Das offene Foyer ist offen und sehr hell. Treppen erstrecken sich über die Stockwerke, jedoch quer durch das hohe Foyer und in unterschiedlichen Richtungen und Winkeln.
Open House Basel
An der Fassade schimmern die großen Glasflächen türkis. Unterbrohen werden die Scheiben durch braune, metall Stäbe, die die Fassade gestalten. Das vierte Geschoss ist vollverglast, sodass die darüberliegenden Geschosse wie schwebend wirken.
Andrea Helbling, Arazebra
Das Foyer/ der Treppenraum von oben. Die Treppenläufe verlaufen kreuz und quer durch den Raum und auf allen Geschossen ist eine Galerie angeordnet.
Andrea Helbling, Arazebra
Eine Gruppe von Besucher*innen steht auf einer der Treppen im großen Foyerraum. Die Geländer sind aus Sichtbeton mit Holzhandläufen.
Open House Basel