Transitlager Dreispitz
The Basel Transitlager is centrally located in the future urban area of Dreispitz as a part of a cluster of new and existing buildings dedicated to galleries, restaurants and creative businesses, on the border between the envisioned Soho and Queens areas. The surrounding industrial area is characterized by the geometries of infrastructures that weave through the city. By re-programming and extending the former warehouse into a multifunctional series of floors for various uses, we propose a cross breed of art, commerce, working and living: Two distinct buildings on top of each other forming a mixed-use hybrid with activity and life 24 hours a day. We propose a transformation of the Transitlager that builds on the industrial logic of the existing building and of the surrounding area. The extension doubles the size of the Transitlager and becomes an opposite twin – based on the same structure, but with a different geometry. The combined building becomes a spectrum of optimal conditions: From open and flexible plans to tailor made units. From public programs to private residences. From vibrant urban space to peaceful green gardens. From cool industrial to warm and refined.