The historic main building of the former military barracks in Basel has been turned into a new public, creative space on the city's river front: Focketyn del Rio Studio on the collaborative process of a remarkable transformation

In a complex transformation, the Basel-based architecture firm Focketyn del Rio Studio has converted the main building of the city's former military barracks into a vibrant cultural and creative hub. Situated on the embankment of the Rhine, already a hotspot of Basel's almost Mediterranean-style nightlife, it offers some 32,000 square feet of work and project spaces, a spacious plaza, a theater hall, as well as a bar and restaurant.

This book documents the building's new architecture in detail and tells the story of Focketyn del Rio Studio, which won the competition for rebuilding the Kaserne Basel in 2013 only six months after it was established. Interviews, concise texts, photographs, as well as plans and drawings, provide insight into the evolution of the project, the history of the old barracks, and the complex process of their transformation. It also features the perspectives of the various participants and stakeholders in the undertaking. All Under One Roof also takes the example of what has been inaugurated as kHaus in the spring of 2022 to discuss key questions of the design and use of urban public spaces, topics of great importance for urbanists, architects, and public decision-makers far beyond Basel.

Autorentext

Basel-based Focketyn del Rio Studio, established in 2013 by Miquel del Rio and Hans Focketyn, has gained wide recognition for the reconstruction of Basel's former military barracks and other urban design proposals and concepts of interim use of existing structures. In 2014, the firm won the Foundation Award for Young Swiss Architects.

Claudia Mion is an architect and editorial director of Caryatide, a Paris-based platform for reflection on architecture, art, and design. She is also a visiting professor at the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris.