Brunnmatt School
| Condition | Heritage protected. By the 1980s, the concrete of the school building had deteriorated both aesthetically and in substance. Therefore, the façade was restored for the first time from 1988–1992 with the help of a hydrophobic coating that reduced the penetration of water into the concrete and slowed down further decay. At that time, a gray slurry was also applied to unify the façade’s appearance—but in doing so, it also destroyed the design quality of the béton brut. In 2010–2014, a renewed restoration of the exposed concrete took place. Here, an attempt was made to preserve as much of the original building substance as possible. The slurry applied during the first restoration was removed using the water jet method, exposing the locally corroded reinforcing irons in the process and painting them with anti-corrosion paint. Missing areas were filled with mortar, the concrete surface was given a new slurry, hydrophobized, and the patches were retouched with color. The original windows were energetically improved and preserved by replacing the glass. |
| Architects | Walter Maria Förderer / Rolf Georg Otto / Hans Zwimpfer |
| Construction Date | 1965 |
The building of Brunnmatt School in Basel consists of several building sections and sculptural objects made of exposed concrete connected by an environmental design concept. Striking examples for the sculptural quality of the ensemble are a staged open staircase flanked by sculptural elements or a geometrically designed fountain on the schoolyard. The details—which include joints, edges and the formwork pattern of the béton brut—were carefully planned through for the entire complex. The result is a highly individual architecture that contrasts with the aspirations for comprehensive industrialization in the field of construction or the sober industrial functionalism of the 1960s.
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