Maurerhalle

Image de Words & Photography: Karin Bürki

Texte et photographie : Karin Bürki

Masonry Hall, Maurerhalle, Hermann Baur, Basel, Swiss brutalism, © Karin Bürki/Heartbrut. Explore more on Heartbrut.com
Béton-origami

What happens when Bauhaus ideals, brutalist aesthetics and Swiss engineering meet to create a workshop for apprentice bricklayers in postwar Basel?

Answer: Probably one of the world’s most elegant pieces of concrete origami. If beauty is reduction, then the architects have spared nothing: using concrete folds, glass and plenty of light, they have created a masterpiece of brutal brilliance and timelessness.

The Bricklayer’s Hall is part of the Basel School of Design and the School of General Trade. Its chief architect, Hermann Baur, was strongly influenced by the ideas of the Bauhaus. He wanted to create a positive learning environment with functional, needs-based architecture, light-filled rooms and easy access to nature and art. Baur also designed many churches.

The Maurerhalle is the love child of his two passions. The apprentice bricklayers certainly had plenty of space to hone their skills. Their workshop was the size of a church hall. The folds of the roof span over 30 metres!

Today, the Maurerhalle is used as a lecture hall and multipurpose space. From their accurately lined-up desks, students can enjoy the play of light on the concrete expanse or ponder on the whistling sound hot concrete makes when you spill a cold drink on it.

Between 2006 and 2010, the school, and in particular the by then dilapidated Maurerhalle, underwent a thorough, but barely visible overhaul. This was intentional. The focus was on maintaining the architectural quality and bringing the energy efficiency up to today’s standards. Great care was taken to preserve the characteristic concrete patina. Instead of the usual high-pressure cleaning, the concrete was continuously sprayed with tap water over several weeks. State-of-the-art concrete cosmetics were used to avoid the dreaded patches that occur when protective coatings are clumsily applied.
Masonry Hall, Maurerhalle, Hermann Baur, Basel, Swiss brutalism, © Karin Bürki/Heartbrut. Explore more on Heartbrut.com

© Karin Bürki/Heartbrut

© Karin Bürki/Heartbrut

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