In the courtyards of Basel's city centre, more and more installations have gradually spread. Garages, workshops and sheds, which have taken over the courtyard space, are now being removed in many places. But lively sociotopes are also being lost in this process. Living and working were no more separate here than the private territories between neighbours. This spirit of the commercial courtyard of yesterday cannot simply be copied into the residential courtyard of tomorrow, but it can be translated. That is why the new house speaks the language of the earlier transitory courtyard buildings. It stands light and low in the courtyard, made of wood like its commercial predecessors. One might almost think that it is here provisionally, were it not for the decisive urbanistic positioning.
The two streets that border the planning area gain a very specific identity from their differences. Hebelstrasse is a connecting road to St. Johann-Vorstadt, while Maiengasse was initially nothing more than a path. Hebelstrasse forms a clearly defined, formal street space, while Maiengasse is an informal, low-built alleyway. For this reason, the house on Hebelstrasse merely closes a gap between buildings, while the courtyard building continues the heterogeneous structure of Maiengasse.
See also Apartment Building Maiengasse
