8 Brutalist icons to visit in Basel for art & architecture lovers

From the pioneers of the 1920s to the golden age of concrete modernism

Karin Bürki

Texte et photographie : Karin Bürki

No other Swiss city boasts a higher density of outstanding concrete architecture than Basel. Many concrete solitaires blurred the lines between art and architecture and embraced social change. Nevertheless, the buildings fall somewhat under the radar even among locals. Reason enough to shine a light on the early 20^th century pioneers and the classics from the 60s and 70s – the golden age of concrete modernism.

Raw, radical and yet refined: Our visual tour explores eight ground-breaking concrete solitaires that have redefined the rules and become an integral part of Basel’s cityscape. Visit the first exposed concrete church in Switzerland and admire what is probably the most beautiful concrete origami in the world. Take the trip down a psychedelic tunnel and relax with a cup of coffee in a former cocoa bean silo.

All objects are in the city centre and easily accessible by tram and bus. By the way: you can also combine the sightseeing tour with Switzerland’s first Brutalist (e-)bike tour. Want to explore even more buildings? Our folding map Carte Brute Basel features 40 pioneering concrete icons from all decades, styles and genres. Happy exploring.

Market Hall

Concrete deli: the market hall next to Basel SBB railway station is a special delicacy in every respect. Let’s start with the architecture: the hall boasts one of the earliest and most graceful exposed concrete domes in Switzerland. The octagonal shell vault is 28 metres high, only eight centimetres thin and has a span of 60 metres. What’s more impressive: when it opened in 1929, the hall ranked as the third largest reinforced concrete dome building in the world.

In 2013, the market hub was converted into a food hall and cultural venue. Under the listed dome, a multitude of stalls, food trucks and bars feed hungry business folk and Gen Z crowds with specialities from all over the world. In the evenings and at weekends, the hall regularly hosts concerts and special events.

Église Saint-Antoine

It was the first church in Switzerland built in reinforced, raw concrete – in 1927, some 25 years before the term brutalism was coined. Karl Moser’s St Anthony’s Church is an uncompromising feat of superlatives: the church tower rises 62 metres into the sky, the austere architecture recalls industrial buildings. The exposed concrete church also broke new artistic ground with the huge glass paintings by Otto Staiger and Hans Stocker. This was so outrageously modern the locals coined a new word for it: “soul silo”.

At the same time ruthlessly stark and awe-inspiring in its monumentality, the sacral Gesamtkunstwerk (or total work of art) attracted a great deal of international attention. St Anthony’s Church ranks among the most important and iconic works of modern architecture in Switzerland. No wonder it remains a popular place of pilgrimage for architects and brutalism fans from all around the world.

University Library

The elegant concrete dome of the reading room reflects the quintessentially Swiss knack for combining pragmatic and functional solutions with high aesthetic standards: the dome’s shape resulted from acoustic requirements and the needs of the students. The “Swiss finish” is also evident in the sculptural staircase, where beton brut aesthetics are juxtaposed with marble accents and elm verneer. Although a typical product of its time, the four-storey cubic extension by Hans Otto Senn from 1968 exudes a timeless modernity.

In 2021, it received a gentle facelift and fresh design accents: various reading corners, lounges and individually usable workstations distributed throughout the building offer a contemporary and relaxed reading and learning experience. By the way: the best view of the 60s icon is enjoyed from the Botanical Garden directly behind it, from where the dome of the reading room rises into the sky like a giant concrete cactus.

Panton Tunnel

When Danish-born designer Verner Panton was tasked to brighten up the dreary, windowless public passage connecting University Hospital Basel’s Klinikum II ward with the car park, he went full psychedelic. And why not? It was 1978. Lurid yellows and garish oranges were considered sensible neutrals.

Panton divided the hundred-metre-long underground passage into eight sequences in the eight spectral colours orange, light red, dark red, aubergine, purple, violet, blue and turquoise. Painting directly onto the concrete in his signature all-over process and alternating patterns of stripes, circles and diamonds, the designer transformed the claustrophobic non-place into a hallucinogenic colour explosion. Bang!

Even today, walking down the passage is a mind-spinning and jaw-dropping experience. Enjoy your trip while you can: Panton’s sole surviving room installation is soon to to make way for a new patient wing.

Erlenmatt Silo

Concrete and cocoa beans: in the newly developed Erlenmatt Ost quarter, located within walking distance of Basel Badischer Bahnhof railway station and Exhibition Square, you will find what is arguably the city’s most unusual accommodation: Silo Erlenmatt is a former grain and cocoa warehouse, run by the city of Basel. Dating back to 1912, it was converted into a hostel, restaurant and studio space in 2020. What makes it special is that the original character of the filigree concrete structure has been largely preserved.

Carefully chosen design touches add style and personality: in the restaurant, concrete-filled pyramid-shaped grain hoppers hang from the ceiling set off by ring-shaped lights. Upstairs, concrete bridges with railings made of raw black steel lead over the empty silo chambers to the studios and hostel rooms. Outside, porthole-like windows with royal blue sunshades give off an unexpected air of Parisian café flair.

Speaking of which: the cocoa beans now take pride of place in the restaurant’s roasting machines, waiting to be served to brunching locals and travellers from around the world. Plenty of house plants and lounge areas make this a hip urban hangout. But there’s more to explore: the car-free Erlenmatt quarter boasts a wide range of innovative, eco-friendly architecture and the vast Erlenpark.

Masonry Hall / General School for Trade & School of Design Basel

It is the ultimate hotspot of Basel’s concrete modernism: in the school complex built in 1961, architecture, art and design merge to create a Gesamtkunstwerk of international renown. It all began with the vision of a school committed to Bauhaus ideals and the fortunate meeting of architect Hermann Baur, artist Hans Arp and graphic designer Armin Hofmann. The architecture is deliberately pared down, yet ambitious, putting the students at the centre. Freedom of movement and access to nature and art were intended to create a positive learning environment. Although this remained a lofty ideal, Hans Arp’s biomorphic concrete stele ‘Column with Interchangeable Elements’ in the schoolyard still enjoys cult status today.

The same goes for the light-flooded, delicately folded Masonry Hall, probably the most beautiful concrete origami in the world. The School of Design set new standards not only in postwar architecture, but also in graphic design. This was largely due to Armin Hoffmann, who revolutionised the teaching of visual design in the 1960s and made the graphic design department world famous. He also designed the concrete pyramid in the courtyard and several wall reliefs in the School of Design.

Theater Basel

Here, the architecture stars as the main act: a huge concrete canopy falls in a steep curve onto the stage, lobby and auditorium. It is only 12 centimetres thick but weighs almost 1000 tonnes. That was a world first. The fondness for architectural experimentation reflected the progressive approach of the municipal theatre: as a typical child of the sixties, it aimed to create an open, interdisciplinary “theatre landscape” that also appealed to an audience beyond the elite. There are no boxes. The slightly curved rows and tightly spaced seats were intended to strengthen the sense of community.

It took an epic 12 years from design to the official opening in October 1975. To mark the occasion, a theatre market was held throughout the building. 15,000 people attended the spectacle. Today, Theater Basel is not only considered Basel’s most important cultural building in the 20th century, but also one of the leading multi-genre theatres in Europe. In 2020, the spacious lobby was transformed into a public meeting space, named ‘Foyer Public’.

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8 Brutalist icons to visit in Basel for art & architecture lovers

Karin Bürki

Carte Brute Bâle

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