Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has returned to his roots to oversee a major £110m expansion for the Beyeler Foundation in Basel. For the 83-year-old designer, the project represents more than a professional milestone; it is a homecoming that evokes the early lessons of his father’s cabinet-making workshop. In the 1960s, as a teenage apprentice, Zumthor learned to prize the precision of a perfectly fitting door that closed with a distinct “sucking sound.” This early training instilled in him what he describes as “the Basel pride in the well-built object,” a sentiment he has channeled into his latest work. With a fleet of globally celebrated projects to his name, the 83-year-old Swiss architect is back in Basel, beaming with the same local pride, six decades on. Which is also his first project here: a monolithic new gallery that looks chiselled from the earth, its layers of pale crumbly concrete hammered into shape, its big oak and bronze doors – their handles wrapped with leather cord – closing with that same satisfyingly expensive Swiss swoosh, he is gazing out at his latest well-built object. A long, low, temple-like shed nestled in a garden, the foundation contains within its porphyry walls a luminous sequence of galleries, with daylight flooding through slender rooftop louvers. Foreshadowing his bigger museums to come, piano took his hi-tech fetish and wrapped it in a luxurious stone skin.
Working in his home town, Zumthor discovered a deep resonance with local craftspeople who still possessed the traditional knowledge required for bespoke construction. This experience stood in stark contrast to his recent work on the $724m, two-decade-long expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Reflecting on his American project, the architect noted that contemporary architects in the US often rely on sourcing pre-made products rather than collaborating with artisans who can build custom components. They weren’t surprised if something had to be custom-made.”. But is the sum of these bespoke parts a worthy companion to one of the country’s – if not the world’s – most beloved art museums.
The Beyeler Foundation, originally designed by Renzo Piano and opened in October 1997, was established by art dealers Ernst and Hildy Beyeler to house their significant collection of Monet, Miro, and Picasso works. While Piano’s original design was lauded for its elegant, industrial restraint, the museum faced space constraints, leading to a 12-metre extension two years after opening and now this major new addition. Following a selection process in 2016 where 100 architects were considered, Zumthor was chosen from a shortlist of 11 to design an expansion that would complement the existing site. The Beyeler Foundation was hailed as a model of elegant restraint when it opened in October 1997 – the same month as Frank Gehry’s billowing Bilbao Guggenheim – praised as a sober foil to the “iconic” tendencies of the time, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. Just outside Basel, in the grounds of an 18th-century villa, the museum was commissioned by Ernst Beyeler, Europe’s pre-eminent modern art dealer and co-founder of Art Basel, and his wife Hildy, to house their staggering collection of Monets and Mirós, Matisses and Picassos, sited in Riehen.
Zumthor distinguishes his contribution from the original museum, describing Piano’s structure as industrial while characterizing his own design as domestic. The project occupies the newly acquired Iselin-Weber park, effectively doubling the museum’s footprint. The new ensemble features three primary structures: the main gallery, which rises from the ground like a rocky outcrop; a five-storey, timber-clad office and art-handling block; and an open, pavilion-style auditorium designed as a public lounge accessible to visitors without tickets.
The aesthetic of the gallery is defined by what Zumthor calls “farmer concrete.” To achieve this rugged, textured finish, he mixed Jura stone into the concrete and required workers to tamp the mixture by hand, limiting progress to 45cm per day. This technique avoids the artificial smoothness of industrial concrete, which the architect believes can look overly commercial. He purposefully sought a finish that shows the history of human touch, remarking that if a building is too slick, it resembles a fashion magazine rather than a space for art.
Every detail of the interior reflects a commitment to artisanal production, from hand-blown glass lamps created by Italian experts to custom-fitted leather benches and pear wood handrails. Despite concerns regarding the carbon footprint of his concrete-heavy design, Zumthor remains firm in his choice of materials. He argues that a wooden museum would not be suitable for the preservation and viewing of art, maintaining that the solid, rocky nature of his concrete construction provides the necessary atmosphere for the gallery’s collection.
The project, documented in Wim Wenders’ new film From Inside Out, highlights the architect’s emotional connection to the region. By integrating stone benches directly into the museum facade and creating a public square with a traditional stone fountain, Zumthor has aimed to create a welcoming environment for visitors. For the architect, this “intimate building” is a direct reflection of his upbringing in Basel, serving as a monument to the craftsmanship that has defined his career.
