AMAG 37: Christ & Gantenbein documents twenty-five years of Basel-based practice through the lens of a studio that treats heritage and contemporary architectural needs not as opposing forces but as generative dialogue — made visible in physical models, drawings, and built work.
About This Book
Christ & Gantenbein have spent a quarter-century working at the intersection of historical context and contemporary intervention, producing architecture that refuses easy novelty in favour of material and civic rigour. This AMAG monograph traces that commitment through two landmark projects: the angular new wing of the Swiss National Museum and the Lindt headquarters on Lake Zurich — a building the practice describes as standing like a tall piece of white chocolate. Central to the book is an examination of their design methodology, where physical models and hand drawings remain primary instruments of thought. For architects and students interested in how a practice sustains a coherent identity across urban heritage, materiality, and contextual design, this volume is essential reading.
Key Features
- 208 pages of project documentation, drawings, physical models, and editorial essays
- Case studies include the Swiss National Museum wing and Lindt headquarters on Lake Zurich
- Published by AMAG, ISBN 9789893530498
What You'll Discover
- How Christ & Gantenbein navigate the tension between historical heritage and contemporary architectural briefs across two decades of built work
- The role of physical model-making and drawing as primary design instruments rather than representational afterthoughts
- The practice's approach to urban identity — how materiality and massing are used to anchor new buildings within existing civic fabric
- How an architecture rooted in local Basel context has yielded solutions recognised through international competition
About the Author
[Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 208
- Dimensions: 320 x 240 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9789893530498
- Publisher: AMAG
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects, architecture students, and researchers interested in Swiss contemporary practice, contextual design methodology, and the relationship between heritage buildings and new interventions.