Hagnau Muttenz: Residents Give Green Light

The infrastructure of the railway line, the highway and various other roads as well as the geological elevations make Hagnau a blank spot on the map between Basel and Muttenz. The isolated commercial district on the side of the hill, situated as it is between transport routes, residential areas and the banks of the Birs, is to become a dense, public space with high-rises, more than 600 flats, lively business activities and a close connection to the riparian zone.

The design of the outside space at this complex junction is an important unifying factor – not just between the new buildings, the public space and the recreational areas, but also between the different quarters, elements and scales of the urban landscape. The location’s biggest challenge from a design perspective – its situation on a slope – will become its strength, and its identifying feature – walkways and ramps – will connect the various terraces atop which the high-rises will stand, and which will, it is hoped, provide the stage for Hagnau’s public and communal life in the future. The local residents approved these plans for the quarter by a large majority on 19 June 2018. The next phase will involve us making our ideas concrete.