Herzog & de Meuron - SUVA-Geb ude

The SUVA building

The SUVA building after the modications by Herzog & de Meuron: The original front got a second
glaeserne skin.
Vorprojekt 1988-1990
Execution 1991-1993

The old, 1950 built building before the modications

During the enlargement of the building of the SUVA (Swiss Institute for Accident Insurance) on the St.
Jakobstrasse in Basel it was decided to retain the existing building of 1950 and to develop an under
utilized corner plot. A very specic solution resulted, in which the glass wrapping of the new building
with ofces and dwellings also covers the existing section.

Sketch of the SUVA building. The old building is on the left side.

Picture left: Opinion of the change - picture on the right: the old building with the cultivation at the right
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The glass skin consists of horizontal tapes with three different types of glaesern, which indicate
different optical and acoustic characteristics. The transparent disk in the range of vision of the ofces
can be opened or closed non-standard, and improves together with the other disks the thermal and
acoustic protection of the building. In addition, the disks in the upper window area serve prism desks
above all the thermic protection, are to verb-eat and become illuminating with daylight, like the disks of
the parapet wall area provided with screen printing over a central computer price increase opened and
closed.

The new glass front with the relief of the Ikarus in the background on the old front. Opening possibilities
of the disks.
The relief of the Ikarus, at the narrow side of the old building, was packed up with the change inevitably
with, and is now constituent of the Cafs at the corner of a building.

The old and the new part of the SUVA building: View of the pointed-angular corner of a building.
The glaeserne covering connects the old with the new building section in an pointed-angular corner of a
building, and nevertheless one knows the composition of the system, due to which, from two different
solidiums detect transparency of the mobile glasses.