Mailand-Strasse
Comparable in scale and vitality to our long-standing Rheinschanze Campus in the St. Johann quarter of Basel, our new building at Mailand-Strasse brings over 300 people together under one roof and has been purposefully designed to create new opportunities for exchange. While our campus on the Rhine remains active on a smaller scale, Dreispitz is becoming an increasingly important part of our daily life and work.
In contrast to the organic, horizontal expansion that occurred over many years at Rheinschanze, Mailand-Strasse addresses the question of how a vertical campus can be conceived: an inspiring, communal workplace within a single, contained multi-story building.
Urban context
Mailand-Strasse is closely connected to “Vision Dreispitz,” a concept we developed over 25 years ago to extend the city southward, replacing an industrial area – Basel’s former Zollfreilager – with a vibrant mixed-use urban quarter including housing, educational institutions, and cultural facilities. Since then, Dreispitz has become a key element of Basel’s ongoing urban development. Located a short walk from the Jacques Herzog und Pierre de Meuron Kabinett, our building is shaped by the structure of the neighborhood and its industrial past.
Architecture
The project is guided by two overarching principles. The first is the development of a clear architectural identity, characterized by a rational, systematic structure that nevertheless possesses a distinctive and expressive character. The second is the goal of creating a contemporary, ecological building whose construction and choice of materials prioritize circularity and a low carbon footprint.
Located along former rail tracks that once connected the site to Basel’s main station, the project takes up the linear structure and scale of its industrial surroundings. The form of the building follows the geometry of the plot, which is defined by the acute angles of the branching rail spurs. A five-story plinth forms the base for a large, pitched roof under which three additional floors are arranged. This silhouette — shaped by regulations governing overshadowing — gives the building its characteristic presence.
From the outside, the building initially appears repetitive and rationally ordered. The façade features horizontal bands of pivot windows and corrugated metal parapet panels, referring to the neighboring industrial buildings. Carefully placed interventions interrupt this regularity: an internal stair at the northern tip reveals its metal-clad form on the exterior, connecting two levels and establishing a relationship to the surrounding utilitarian structures, while additional openings in the façade create balconies and loggias. Within the building, double-height spaces and open stairwells create visual connections and direct links between floors, forming a vertical campus that fosters exchange and communication.
Sustainability and construction
The building’s load-bearing structure is primarily timber, which significantly reduces its embodied carbon footprint. Concrete is used only where structurally necessary: in the three cores, the firewall, and the basement levels. A stepped excavation further minimizes the amount of concrete needed.
Integrated within the building’s clay ceiling panels, the heating and cooling system operates alongside natural ventilation and photovoltaic panels on the rooftop and south facade. This ensures low operational energy consumption, in line with SIA standard 390/1 for office buildings; The same applies to greenhouse gas emissions during construction. All building layers are designed for disassembly, allowing them to be dismantled and reused independently to remain part of an overall material cycle. This strategy is reflected in the façade, where the inner timber structure is protected by a metallic outer skin while remaining visually legible.
Beyond the building’s construction and operation, sustainable commuting is supported by a large bicycle parking area in the basement and easy access to public transit connections.
Spatial diversity
The spatial concept draws on the rich variety of H&dM’s long-standing St. Johann campus, located across the city from the Dreispitz neighborhood. While St. Johann evolved over decades to include a range of building types, Mailand-Strasse achieves similar spatial diversity through precise architectural interventions. Three interconnected cores organize the floor plan and establish visual links throughout the building.
A mix of environments — open work areas, meeting rooms, quiet retreats, and shared zones — alternates from floor to floor. Vertical elements, such as the distinctive northern stair, a double-height library, and a two-story collaboration area, provide orientation and foster exchange among teams. Roof terraces and loggias further extend these spaces outdoors.
