Project
03
47.56° N, 7.59° E
Kaskade Library
A public library of stacked, cantilevered reading floors whose deep fins temper the southern light.
Location
Basel, Switzerland
Year
2023
Typology
Cultural
Area
6,800 m²
Status
Completed
Client
Canton of Basel-Stadt
Brief
An open competition for a neighbourhood library that would also serve as the district’s living room: open late, free to enter, comfortable to stay in.
Section
Four reading floors cantilever progressively further to the south. The overhangs and precast fins shade the glazing in summer and let the low winter sun reach the back of every room.
“A library is a room for staying. We designed the edges for sitting, not for passing.”
Material
Fluted precast concrete, oiled oak desks and a terrazzo floor made with gravel from the excavation of the site itself.
Credits
Architecture: Zuxen · Structure: Conzett Bronzini · Lighting: Licht Kunst Licht · Photography: Studio archive
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