Thesis title:
Basel science forum.
A typological approach for innovative research environments capable of giving expression to civic meanings
Date of discussion:
December 2020
Students:
Ceren Bingol, Beatrice Tosini
Professors of the Studio:
Francesca Battisti (Architectural Design)
Grigor Angjeliu (Structural Design)
Lavinia Chiara Tagliabue (Technology and design in BIM Environment)
Francesco Romano (Building Services Design)
Giovanni Dotelli (Innovative Materials for Architecture)
Abstract:
Rooted in the heart of Basel, the Schällemätteli Life Sciences Campus is being redeveloped nto a leading international research and education centre with a vision of “open innovation”. The thesis explores, from both a theoretical and a design perspective, all the issues that the conception of the “missing tile” of the university campus implies to complete the academic urban strategy. The main challenge lies in grafting an the new innovative center into a unique site, housing the new Chemistry, Physics, SNI, Anatomy departments, and several public facilities. On the border between Campus and City, and between the historic city centre and the newer “European city” of Basel, a new civic place will emerge, deeply embedded in the urban structure, history and identity of the city. In-depth research on “campus architectures” and historic public space typologies substantiated the design of a Science Forum as the symbolic conclusion and “urban link” of the main public “backbone” crossing the sequence of university campuses.
The Forum embodies the “civic core” of an architectural ensemble, reinforced by an arcade, making palpable a sense of continuity and identity. The entrance to the Forum is defined by the “Basilica”, a “Temple of Science”, a collector of people, and by the Tower, a new landmark in the city’s skyline. The symbolic value of this typological aggregation is further strengthened by the façades, which propose a contemporary reinterpretation of paradigmatic Civic Architectures as an urban communication device.