A Brief Image of A Summertime Location Transformed
A local summer staple, the Gartenbad Bachgraben is tucked away among old trees on Basel’s Belforterstrasse. It features gardens, public pools, and a small eatery that has been serving swimmers since the 1960s. The restaurant structure was meticulously renovated by MET Architects in 2024, maintaining its post-war modernist charm while adding the airiness of a modern café.
Heritage With Legs: The Significance of This Structure
Otto and Walter Senn, in collaboration with engineer Heinz Hossdorf, created the site’s service and restaurant buildings in 1962. These concrete structures, which are designated in Basel-Stadt’s inventory of protected buildings, read as prime examples of post-war modernism. The building is a part of the public’s recollection of summer days, and MET’s project uses that recollection as a major architectural constraint. This history is not merely academic.
Photograph: Barbara Bühler
Design Philosophy: Moderation, Clarity, And Enjoyment
The approach taken by MET Architects is delightfully straightforward: let the original proportions and materials tell the tale, reveal where it can, and interfere where it is needed. In order to update technical systems, restructure service flows for contemporary catering, and open the interior towards the garden and pool terraces, the team concentrated on renovating the restaurant and service building adjacent to the main entrance. Instead of being a pastiche, the outcome reads as a modern café that still “belongs” in a 1960s swimming complex.
Photograph: Barbara Bühler
Light And Materials: The Silent Language of Building
Concrete continues to be the protagonist, defining the form with ribbon windows, thin supports, and wide flat cantilevers. By adding new openings, elegant woodwork, and light fixtures, MET’s intervention maintains the structural lines’ legibility while making the interiors airy, light, and adaptable for both daytime swimmers and evening meals. The Bachgraben Public Pool Restaurant demonstrates how subtle, material-driven changes might improve user comfort without destroying historic features.
Photograph: Barbara Bühler
Experience & Program — Beyond A Canteen
In terms of functionality, the renovated restaurant is good at three things: it functions as a quick and friendly counter for pool patrons; it provides seating that can be transformed into a casual terrace for garden views; and it functions as a small neighbourhood café outside of the busiest swimming hours. The design of MET facilitates staff operations while offering a variety of seating options, such as sunny tables and shady alcoves, so the facility can be used for a variety of purposes throughout the year.
Connectivity And Landscape: Drawing The Park In
The connection between the landscape and the architecture is crucial to the outcome. On sunny days, the garden feels like an interior space thanks to the big transparent walls and covered porches, which transform the existing trees and lawns into extension rooms. The restaurant’s function as a social hub for locals and swimmers alike is reinstated by this permeable boundary between the interior and outside.
Conservation Ethics: Little Actions Have A Major Impact
This project exemplifies a conservation ethic that is relevant to daily living. Instead of going for a radical reinterpretation, MET fixed, updated, and made minor spatial changes that improve usability while respecting the original designers’ intentions. The Bachgraben restaurant serves as a helpful example of humility for architects considering historic work: the most effective improvements are frequently the least ostentatious.
Community Value: The Reason Baslers Are Concerned
Gartenbad Bachgraben and other public baths serve as both cultural and civic hubs. The restaurant’s comeback is significant not because it won accolades but because it enhances everyday life: families can find cosy spots to hang out, swimmers can receive better services, and the neighbourhood keeps a popular gathering spot. This is straightforward, long-lasting, and human architecture that serves a social purpose.
Travelling And Useful Information
Located in Belforterstrasse 135, Basel, Gartenbad Bachgraben is just a short tram ride from the city centre. Plans should be made in advance because the restaurant and pool are seasonal and popular on warm days. Refer to the Basel tourism and municipal sports authority listings for official opening hours and contact information.
Final Thoughts: Welcome, Cool Concrete
The Bachgraben restaurant’s meticulous renovation demonstrates how simple architecture may support communal customs during a time when many public structures are being marginalised. The work of MET Architects serves as a reminder that conservation may be giving by restoring a building’s ability to support daily living in addition to its structural integrity. This is a subtly happy accomplishment at a time of extravagant displays; it’s the kind of endeavour that gives lengthy summer afternoons a sense of being well-curated by taste and common sense.
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Further Reading
Bachgraben Public Pool Restaurant / MET Architects | ArchDaily
Restaurant Gartenbad Bachgraben MET Architects Basel
