Over its more than 70 years, the building that most recently housed the Coop wine storage warehouse in Lysbüchel, a former industrial zone of Basel, has taken on many guises. Each has left its own traces and scars. Sometime in the 1970s, for instance, the gable roof was torn off, the building was extended upward and outward, and its facade was completely clad in somber beige corrugated aluminum sheeting. All of this is history now: The warehouse has been radically transformed into vibrant and affordable apartments.
Esch Sintzel, the Zurich firm that adapted the structure to its latest identity, has envisaged, inspired by Le Corbusier, where residents can interact with one another. “The house as a city — with internal streets, paths and squares for the community — promotes the exchange and coexistence of the 170 residents and connects the domestic with the urban sphere,” explains Marco Rickenbacher, the project architect. These streets provide access to the four stairwells and a variety of communal areas like the laundry rooms, the flexible “joker rooms” for children or adult workspaces, a bicycle workshop and subterranean rehearsal rooms. They also provide access to the 64 apartments, which range from cozy 1.5-room units to spacious suites that boast 7.5 rooms and cater to every age and stage of life.
