The primary school in Basel’s Gundeli quarter comprises a main wing, sports hall, assembly hall, kindergarten and outdoor play areas. Clever landscaping helps the striking combination of school and sculpture blend in harmoniously with the residential neighbourhood. The distinctive style later became the trademark of Walter Maria Förderer. A sculptor turned architect, he designed some of Switzerland’s boldest brutalist churches and was the creative force behind the pioneering architecture of HSG University.

Brunnmatt School

Words & Photography: Karin Bürki
- Educational
- Walter Maria Förderer, Rolf G. Otto, Hans Zwimpfer
- 1960-1965
- Ingelsteinweg 2-6, 4053 Basel
- Basel
- Object of Local Significance
- Listed in Carte Brute Basel
Still fresh
After two carefully executed refurbishments, Brunnmatt looks as fresh and pristine as ever. The complex remains a textbook example of how to treat postwar concrete with due respect and care.
The sculptural concrete school is based on Förderer, Otto and Zwimpfer’s pioneering design for Neumatt secondary school in nearby Aesch, completed in 1962.


© Karin Bürki/Heartbrut
© Karin Bürki/Heartbrut
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