Residential Building Area Volta Basel

The guiding concept assigns a clear role to building block 2.3 within the ensemble of development area 2. With its large-scale unit, the building makes a strong statement and, as the last residential building in the commercial landscape, marks the boundary of the St. Johann residential quarter. The key features of the guiding concept are adopted as design themes – clear alignments, a defined base, consistent eaves height, and projecting parts of the building towards the courtyard. Taking into account the unifying framework, the building is divided into three parts with the aim of contextualization. This tripartite division structures the design on all conceptual levels – in the volumetry and architectural expression, the distribution of uses on the ground floor, and the typological variety of the apartments.
In response to the high noise protection requirements, a unified loggia solution for the ventilation of living and sleeping areas facing the park is developed. The deep loggia has a minimum opening width of 2 meters, but also allows light through two side-fixed windows – a solution that mitigates the conflict between the necessary depth for noise absorption and natural lighting.
During a revision phase, following the preliminary review by the Office for Environment and Energy, the previously planned measures were reassessed and validated. In particular, the park-facing loggia was redesigned, and its noise-reducing effect was determined through a model calculation (CATT). It was found that a reduction of 8-10 dB occurs at the side window. As a result, the room adjacent to this loggia can be naturally ventilated while meeting the planning requirements.