Context: Multi-faceted neighbourhoods
The rectangular area is precisely bordered to the north and south by traffic infrastructures.
In the north, the busy track field dominates. As an important infrastructure axis, it creates the national and international address of the site. In the south, the site benefits from the green area of Hexmatt with the adjacent residential zones and enjoys the view of the foothills of the Jura. Here the site is related to the municipal structure and in the geographical context of the region.
Towards the west, the Gempenstrasse with the adjacent municipal workshop marks the transition to the industrial zone. To the east, Grabenmattstrasse and Salinenstrasse form the links to the central zone of Pratteln railway station.
The Salinenstrasse, which slopes down below the tracks, accentuates the insularity of the site in interaction with the railway and tram tracks to the north and south. We believe that this should be emphasised, not least because a "traffic-free area with peripheral access and the favouring of public transport, pedestrian and bicycle traffic" are objectives that bring value to the island like location.
Competition
HIAG Areal
Urban design
Pratteln, Basel-Landschaft Switzerland
Morphology: pairs of opposites
From a morphological point of view, the context is also characterised by a pair of opposites: on one hand, the large and soaring industrial and newly developed high-rises, on the other hand, the fine-grained and small-scale development of the adjacent housing estates.
As a special form, the elongated, elegant buildings typical of the railway infrastructure should also be mentioned.
Urban design: accentuation & typological diversity
Our project proposal accentuates the existing characteristics and building types and thus anchors the area in the site-specific context.
In this approach, the natural and anthropogenic environmental aspects play a central role. The southern downdrafts of the Jura foothills must be used to prevent a heat island, and the noise and incident load of the track field in the north must be delimited.
In the south, ground-level housing is arranged in fanned-out row buildings, while in the north a commercial and development base with high-rise buildings on top creates a protection from the railway. The protective commercial base refers to the above-mentioned elongated buildings of the railway infrastructure.
The park between the commercial base and the garden settlement mediates between the building typologies. It serves as the central address of the area and offers the residents a quiet, protected green space and meeting place. In the centre of the site, an unpaved path follows the gentle curve of the garden estate; in the north of the park, a generous boulevard addresses the high-rise buildings and the commercial areas.
Team:
Architect:
Studio Gugger
Landscape architect:
Maurus Schifferli Landschaftarchitekt
