The CoNext neighborhood will feature a range of living and working options, along with a mixed-use, public and private first floor. With a plaza along its front, this innovative urban development will become an axis between the train station and the FHNW—University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. The urban design integrates and enhances the surrounding city, providing high-quality public space, safe pathways to the station, and a multi-use public realm for residents and visitors.

Within a two-acre site, the scheme comprises 137 apartments and shared spaces in various sizes and 22,500 square feet for local businesses. With more than 3,000 students traveling between the train station and university each day, the public-oriented and transparent first floor promotes active exchange—including social, business, and study—as well as spaces flexible for public events.

Central to our concept is Switzerland’s first Urban Living Lab with multifunctional public spaces that are open for the community and run by the neighboring university. The Lab will be open for the period of construction (estimated at three years), as a way to study renewable energy and water reuse infrastructure, and future-thinking social dimensions implemented at CoNext. A range of stakeholders play an important role in the development of the project and offer a variety of amenities, including individual and co-housing, urban gardening, local services businesses, and mobility through shared e-bikes.

The project is constructed using low-tech, easy-to-build principles and reused materials. The façade uses recycled, patina’ed mesh, ensuring the development blends easily with the existing neighborhood and provides privacy and sun protection layers for the apartments. We have designed the building to meet the SNBS building construction standard for sustainability and energy use.

The permeability, social focus, and living options at CoNext define not just an asset for the people who will live and work there, but also a new destination and public space for the community of Muttenz.