In our competition-winning design for an apartment building with five residences, we set out to amplify the significance of the site. The client, a Basel construction company, wanted a special concept that would create flexible, high-value apartments to take to market.

Located in the historic castle town of Pfeffingen, south of Basel, the site looks north toward the city, yet away from the sun. This led us to a triangular floor plan to maximize the daylight entering each floorplate, while retaining the northern aspect. This dynamic geometry has led to raking views and spatial “compass,” as well as enabling private garden spaces for the ground-floor duplex apartments.

A luxurious underground garage leads to the main entrance, which is carved into the building plinth, celebrating the arrival sequence as the tension builds from a relatively narrow space before opening up to the triangle floor plan and the dramatic view shafts this shape enables.

Fast to build, the efficient frame construction and structural core gives flexibility along the perimeter—all the walls separating the bedrooms are non–load-bearing, meaning the plan can be adapted at any time in the future for changing households.

Dramatic ring balconies overhang the floor below, creating a brise soleil for the entire façade. High-performance triple-glazed Panorama windows allow unobstructed 180-degree views on the lower levels and 360-degree views from the upper story.

Speed of construction was key for our developer client, who sought a design partner who not only understands construction and buildability, but also could use the site to its fullest. Our design solution has created higher-value apartments for the best return on their investment capital.