Shaping spaces together

With the future traffic management, road and rail traffic will be consolidated near the railway embankment. This will notably alleviate noise for areas such as the Lochfeld neighborhood or the front Norimatt. Overall, the traffic situation in Laufen will improve as motorized traffic is separated from pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Additionally, the new Eishalle underpass will establish a direct connection for non-motorized traffic, linking neighborhoods south of the railway embankment with the Eishalle and Stedtli Laufen. This enhances traffic safety for everyone and creates an attractive and secure network of paths for pedestrians and cyclists.

The consolidation of infrastructure in the Nau area will result in a traffic-calmed, cohesive open and green space. Specifically, the area between the slaughterhouse and the Eishalle will be available to the population of Laufen as an attractive, centrally located open space for local recreation, leisure, and sports. A public participation process was conducted for the project and variant decision.

We look forward to the possibility of working on this project in collaboration with the Arx Group at Aeschenplatz in Basel and the entire general planning team.

On the Main Campus of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, the new Skills Lab and Simulation Center of the University Hospital Basel is taking shape – a pioneering learning environment equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology, ideally located in direct proximity to industry partners and life science start-ups. We are delighted to be realising this innovative project together with the USB team and to have the opportunity to support its development.

We are pleased to welcome three new team members: Andreas Rumpel (ZFA & BIM), Fabio Rudin (ZFA), and Marc Eyacher (Architect). We look forward to a successful collaboration and are excited about the projects that lie ahead.

With over thirty years of experience, we now draw on a well-established network. Whether involving specialist planners, clients, or colleagues from other architectural firms, exchanging knowledge, experience, and ideas is a core aspect of our work and is reflected in our company credo, SHARING EXPERIENCE. One of our longstanding project partners is the architectural firm Butscher, with whom we have shared a partnership and office community at Austrasse 24 for twenty years.

This partnership began two decades ago when Novartis launched a general planning tender for various laboratory buildings on its campus. At that time, Blaser Architekten brought valuable experience in collaborating with renowned design architects from Japan, while Butscher Architekten contributed their expertise in large-scale project planning. Together, we successfully realized the Novartis building WSJ-155 on Fabrikstrasse from 2005 to 2009, under the leadership of the Japanese design architect Yoshio Taniguchi.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming architecture by autonomously conducting analyses, visualizations, and cost calculations, as well as creating texts, images, and floor plans. However, the creative expertise of architects remains essential. AI supports planners and architects in fostering innovative ideas but does not take over the detailed creation of executable construction plans. Although AI in architecture is still in its early stages, it already offers a variety of possibilities. The focus is on understanding AI as an additional tool that processes vast amounts of data, while true innovation remains a human endeavor. It is crucial to carefully examine and understand the impacts, opportunities, and challenges of AI in spatial planning.