The new building of the Basel Kunstmuseum, which opened this year, is located across the street from its main building, built in 1936 in Art Deco forms with neo-Romanesque motives. The energetic corner of the historic building in the new building is echoed by the concavity of the façade, which also forms a small courtyard in front of the entrance. For self-supporting monolithic walls, a gray flat brick was chosen (height only 4 cm): its slightly protruding rows alternate with receding ones, as a result, the surface receives an additional texture. Light and dark shades of bricks divide the facades into traditional zones, including the "frieze", supplemented by LEDs: depending on the selected power, they can shine or glow softly at dusk.
In the interior, the dark gray concrete ceiling beams set the rhythm, while at the same time recalling the lobby of an old building. The white walls at the "cut" in the openings of doors and windows are also painted in a rich gray, which contrasts with oak floors. On each floor, from the staircase, there are two possible routes of inspection. The sizes of the premises are varied: from a "study" to a large hall, moreover, the layout can be adjusted depending on the exposure. The new building has a total of 2,555 m2 of exhibition space.
In the lobby, reminiscent of the museum's timelessness, marble floors contrast with the steel-paneled walls - a sign of modernity. This space is also suitable for presentations, receptions, lectures and many other functions. There the main staircase of gray Bardillo marble begins, and its walls are covered with textured gray plaster. The new wing is connected to the main building by a series of underground halls.
Numerous references to the tradition and the image of the old building (it opened after reconstruction at the same time as the new wing) allowed the architects of Christ & Gantenbein to declare that both buildings speak the same language, but their project tells its own story - a completely different, fundamentally new one.
