COOP TH12 Headquarters, Basel

The Building

Building pre-intervention

Building post-intervention

The Coop Group’s administrative building on Thiersteinerallee, located in the city centre of Basel, was built in the 1970s by Gass+Boos Architekten and was completely renovated in 2020. The renovation did not interrupt the administrative services and was aimed primarily at making the best possible use of the outer shell of the building preserving the exterior concrete structure.

The Solution

Solution post-intervention

What is the Solution?

The aim of the new design was to create a convincing interplay between the preservation of the character-defining elements such as the exterior concrete structure, the technology and a contemporary architectural language. For these reasons, it was chosen to clad the facade elements between the columns in concrete with custom-made photovoltaic modules that completely conceal the PV technology.

Why Does it work?

The qualities of the existing building’s interior, the column-free floor plan and well-proportioned usable areas, were retained and optimised in certain areas. By redesigning the office space, room for about a third more workplaces was created. The facade elements between the columns in concrete were completely renewed. They now produce electricity as photovoltaic elements form the parapet cladding and emphasize the layered effect of the facade.

PROS