Winkelriedplatz Basel Competition
Location
Basel, Switzerland
Client
City of Basel
Dimension
4.823 sqm
Year
2017
Competition
Open competition
The design of Winkelriedplatz responds directly to user suggestions and combines various aspects to create a flexible neighbourhood square. The entrances are reorganised and redesigned, thus interlocking Winkelriedplatz with the adjacent street space. Bicycle parking spaces are created at all entrances.
Valuable old trees provide shade and frame two distinctive, well-sunlit recreation areas. A new, spacious lawn extends across the western part of the park. Visitors are welcome to enter it to read, sunbathe or have a picnic during their lunch break. Its counterpart is a paved area on the eastern side, that can be flexibly used for neighbourly football matches, for a flea market or summer cinema. A network of light points spans this area so that it can also be used for evening events.
In between these two poles, a variety of vegetation and recreational areas are distributed in strips, providing a multiplicity of uses for different age groups. The vegetation also delineates areas for retreat. The central area, characterised by two long water tables in the axis, remains open for walking, strolling, or a game of boules. The low walls provide seating, otherwise you can pull up a chair and sit wherever you likes.