Student Hostel, Basel , 2013–2019

  • © Damian Poffet

  • © Damian Poffet

  • © Damian Poffet

  • © Damian Poffet

  • © Damian Poffet

  • © Damian Poffet

In the north-east of Basel, on the site formerly used as a freight station, the Erlenmatt Quarter is being built, a lively district providing a high residential quality for all strata of the population. A multifaceted coexistence and community of lifestyles and neighbourhoods, complemented by public, social, and commercial uses. The buildings and facilities on the site are planned, built, operated, and renewed in a resource-saving manner.

The new building adjoins the silo building constructed by architect Rudolf Sandreuter in 1912 to the south and joins the row of buildings along Signalstrasse. Based on the feasibility study decided in 2013, a student residence for 99 inhabitants with commercial use on the ground floor was built here. The hostel is operated by the Association for Student Housing (WoVe), which provides students with functional and inexpensive accommodation. Students will live in 16 shared flats with 4 to 7 residents each. In addition, 3 separately accessible 1.5-room gallery apartments are offered.

The flats are grouped in two wings around the common heart of the complex, a semi-public courtyard on the first floor. This can be reached via a staircase from a public passageway running straight through the building. The unroofed courtyard is 7.80 m wide and over 50 m long. The apartments are accessed via an open staircase, arcades and footbridges that span the courtyard. In front of the entrances to the apartments and eat-in kitchens, the circulation area is expanded into a lounge area. The use of these open spaces enlivens the courtyard and makes it a place of encounter and communication.