Basel

When Burckhardt Architekten SIA was first founded in 1951, the small team gratefully first made use of the premises of its predecessor firm, Burckhardt, Wenk & Cie., at Malzgasse 16 in Basel. It wasn’t long, however, before they relocated to their own space at Heuberg 16. The historical building, named «Zum Breisach», exists to this day. 

As the volume of commissions grew, so did the workforce, and the company frequently had to fall back on makeshift construction offices – a less-than-ideal situation. Hoping to establish a more permanent solution that would offer sufficient capacity, in 1960 the founders decided to build their own headquarters. Between 1962 and 1963, a studio and office building was erected at Peter Merian-Strasse 34. Designed in the spirit of functionalist-modern architecture, it embodied the progressive ethos of the era and realized Le Corbusier’s concept of the open floor plan. Today, the building is celebrated as a standout example of Basel’s postwar modernism. 

Yet, while the firm was still busy moving into the new building, it soon became apparent that even more additional office space would be needed to accommodate large-scale projects, particularly for the chemical industry in the Basel region. The solution Burckhardt pursued until the early 1970s was to lease supplementary offices across various Basel districts. In the 1980s, the company expanded its reach beyond Basel into the neighboring cantons of Basel-Landschaft and Aargau. Since cantonal contracts at the time were awarded only to firms with a physical presence in the respective canton, new branches were established in Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), and Stein (AG). 

By the late 1990s, these various offices were consolidated in the Gundeldingen district for the sake of synergy – a strategic move, given its proximity to the SBB train station. The office at Dornacherstrasse 210, which Burckhardt has occupied since 1981, remains its headquarters to this day. Standing still, however, has never been an option: To maintain an appealing, contemporary workplace and accommodate the growing team, the space has undergone – and continues to undergo – periodic transformations. A major renovation and expansion took place in 2015 with the addition of the ground floor office premises and the construction of a large internal staircase connecting it to the first floor. What were once cellular offices and a central corridor have given way to an open-plan layout, while spacious interior courtyards featuring fig trees enhance break times and double as communal gathering spots. Plans for the next significant upgrades are already in the works. 

Currently (2025), the office serves as a workplace for around 200 employees and, alongside seven other locations in Switzerland and Germany, reflects the firm’s deep Basel roots.