a+u 662: Christ & Gantenbein maps a decade of work by the Basel-based firm through the lens of constraint as creative catalyst — from museum extensions to social housing — in 160 pages of projects and critical conversation.
About This Book
Founded in Basel in 1998 by Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein, Christ & Gantenbein have built a practice that treats programmatic and site constraints not as obstacles but as the generative conditions of architecture. This issue of a+u surveys their work across scales and typologies, with particular attention to the tension between continuity and disruption that defines their approach. From the extension of the Swiss National Museum — a charged exercise in institutional memory — to Vaugirard Social Housing, their projects engage seriously with urban repair and the spatial demands of contemporary living. The issue closes with a substantial conversation between the architects, offering rare insight into their method.
Key Features
- 160 pages of project photography, drawings, and critical dialogue
- Features the Swiss National Museum extension and Vaugirard Social Housing
- Includes a conversation with Emanuel Christ and Christoph Gantenbein
- Published by Shinkenchiku-sha
What You'll Discover
- How Christ & Gantenbein reframe site and programme constraints as opportunities for spatial invention
- Their approach to the museum typology, examined through the extension of the Swiss National Museum in Basel
- The practice's engagement with social housing as a vehicle for urban repair and contemporary spatial thinking
- The architects' own reflections on continuity, disruption, and evolution across their body of work
About the Author
[Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 160
- Dimensions: 220 x 290 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9784900213241
- Publisher: Shinkenchiku-sha
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and students interested in European contemporary practice, museum architecture, and urban-scale thinking — particularly those engaged with questions of context and typological evolution.