Rümelinsplatz, Basel/Switzerland

During the Fasnacht and in summer with 'Em Bebbi sy Jazz', the Rümelinsplatz in the old town quarters of Basel is filled to the brim with people. For the rest of the year though, despite attractive uses with restaurants, shops and the city library, it does not present a particularly inviting impression. There is a need for action on the 'Rümeli'.
The square is understood as an integral unit of the atmospheric and spatial urban structure of the old town district. A homogeneous paving of polished Rhein wacke allows the urban space to clearly differentiate itself. Within the formative topography of the square, two flat plateaus with flat seating walls of natural stone will be worked into the surroundings of the paddling fountain and in front of the city library. They will be formulated in analogy to the rich details of the façades of Basel’s historic city centre and the paddling fountains. Elongated and tapering arches as incisions and undercuts structure the volumes and integrate them into the context topographically and visually. A light veil of feather-leaved, open-crowned Gleditsia trees characterises the north side of the square and strengthens its independently readable identity as a 'clearing in the city' in the context of the old stone district. The project is scheduled for realisation based on the competition design until 2027.