Basel: Small City — Global City
13-16 October 2011
International Conference and Chapter Meeting
Online
Basel is a small town with world-class contemporary architecture. Together with its tri-national metropolitan area, it is home to a number of buildings designed by some of the most influential architects practicing today.
It is also a town facing new challenges of growth. As the city struggles to grow within and across its industrial and political borders to France and Germany, it has begun to enlist leading thinkers, planners, and architects to envision bold new ideas for its urban development.
At this 4-day conference of building visits, lectures and tours, participants will see the headquarters of Basel-based companies Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Vitra who are working with an array of renowned architects like Herzog & de Meuron, SANAA, Frank Gehry, and David Chipperfield to transform their sites of industrial production into global campuses of research and innovation.
Conference participants will visit Basel’s industrial Rhein harbor, where the three countries meet, to learn about the new harbor vision designed by Dutch firm MDRDV. Presentations by city leaders and planners of Basel, and neighboring France and Germany, will highlight ways in which the region is working cooperatively to find sustainable solutions to the challenges and opportunities of their tri-national area.
Basel illuminates how a small city responds to the demands of fragmented borders and the global workplace. Through the particulars of this unique city-region, the conference addresses the wider themes of architecture and urban planning in our increasingly interconnected world.
—Conference chairs, Suzanne Marhefka, AIA & Tiffany Melancon, Assoc. AIAEvent space is limited. Read here for notes about registration. AIA Europe offers accredited AIA CES learning units. Program is subject to change.
Of the 83,500 members of the American Institute of Architects, more than 2,300 live and work in markets outside of the United States — and thousands more work from the US on projects in other countries. As one of five international chapters of the American Institute of Architects, AIA Europe organizes biannual architectural conferences that bring together AIA members from around the world to enable them to learn about practices in other cities and countries, while enabling them to share their own knowledge with other members.
Program:
Program is subject to change. Venues and meeting points (on the left of the program) are linked to markers on the conference Google Map.
| Thursday, 13 October 2011 | Welcome: AIA in Basel | |||
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| Venues & meeting points | 17:30 | Registration opens, Swiss Architecture Museum | ||
| 1: Swiss Architecture Museum | 17:30 | Welcome apéro with SIA Basel, sponsored by Itten + Brechbühl AG |
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| 18:30 | Basel conference introduction, Conference Chairs | |||
| 18:40 | AIA Europe presentation, Gregg Broderick, Assoc. AIA, 2011 President, AIA Europe | |||
| 18:50 | SIA Basel presentation, Christoph Gantenbein, SIA/BSA | |||
| 19:10 | Apéro continues / Preview SAM exhibition "The Object of Zionism about modern architecture in Israel", the location of the Spring 2012 AIA Europe Conference | |||
| 20:30 | Apéro ends / dinner on your own; some suggested restaurants 
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| Friday, 14 October 2011 | Day 1: Building Basel — Small City, Tri-National City, Global City | |||
| 2: Museum der Kulturen | 08:00 | Registration continues, Museum der Kulturen | ||
| 08:30 | Welcoming address: Helene Combs Dreiling FAIA, Secretary, American Institute of Architects | |||
| BSL001 | 08:45 | Lecture 1: "Building Basel" — the MetroBasel 2020 vision, an urban plan for Basel by Manuel Herz, Co-Director of ETH Studio Basel, Co-Author of "MetroBasel" | 1 | |
| 10:00 | Coffee break in museum courtyard | |||
| BSL002 | 10:20 | Guided tour of Museum der Kulturen and Basel Münsterplatz | 1.5 | |
| 12:00 | Lunch at Museum der Kulturen | |||
| 3: Marktplatz | 13:15 | Tram Transfer to Voltahalle, Via Meeting Point 3: Marktplatz | ||
| 4: Voltahalle | 13:45 | 4: Voltahalle (Afternoon lectures open to the public) | ||
| BSL003 | 14:00 | Lecture 2: "Growing Together and Together Growing in the Tri-national Region" — Northern Basel’s New Housing Policies: Results and Outlook, Dr. Martin Jann | 1 | |
| 14:40 | Break | |||
| BSL004 | 14:50 | Lecture 3, pt. 1: "The North Tangent as Motor of the Urban Development in Basel North" — Building Basel's Contemporary City: Basel North / Basel's New Housing, Katrin Amtmann | 2a | |
| BSL005 | 15:30 | Lecture 3, pt. 2: "The Basel Housing Policy: Results and Outlook" — New Housing for Basel, Regula Küng | 1.5b | |
| 16:00 | Coffee break | |||
| 16:15 | Panel Discussion: "How Is a Global Workforce Shaping the Basel Region?" — Dr. Martin Jann, Katrin Amtmann, Regula Küng, Massimo Fontana, Maureen Carlson Reinertsen AIA, SIA (Note: this session combines with Lecture 3 pt. 1 for continuing education hours.) | a | ||
| 17:00 | Guided walking tour of Volta / Basel Nord with tour of Volta Mitte apartment building, Katrin Amtmann (Note: this session combines with Lecture 3 pt. 2 for continuing education hours.) | b | ||
| 5: St. Johann Boat Launch | 18:00 | Guided boat tour of Rhein Harbor (Note: this session combines with Lecture 3 pt. 1 for continuing education hours.) | a | |
| 6: Das Schiff | 19:00 | Apéro sponsored by Laufen Forum, with Laufen guests | ||
| 21:00 | Apéro ends, self-pay dinner option available at Das Schiff Restaurant | |||
| Saturday, 15 October 2011 | Day 2: Building a Global Workplace – Innovation, Technology, Novartis | |||
| 7: Basel 360° | 08:20 | Arrive Venue 7: Basel 360° | ||
| BSL006 | 08:30 | Presentation of exhibit "Basel 360°: Seeing the Region in a New Way", Christian Blaser, Int‘l. Assoc. AIA, SIA | 1 | |
| 8: Voltahalle | 09:30 | Foot transfer to Venue 8: Voltahalle | ||
| 09:30 | Coffee break | |||
| 10:00 | Lecture 4: "Design and Technology Trends in the Built Environment: Things that Happened While We Were Working" — Technology in Design by Tim Canfield, Chief Executive Officer, Downstream | 1 | ||
| BSL007 | 11:00 | Lecture 5: "Innovations in Green Technologies: Novartis Case Studies" — Gerd Voith, Steffi Neubert, Thomas Auer: Façade design with Transsolar | 1.5 | |
| BSL008 | 12:30 | Lunchtime sponsor presentation: "Sustainability of Windows", John Fowler, Marvin Windows and Doors | 1 | |
| 9: Novartis Campus | 13:45 | Foot Transfer to Venue 9: Novartis Campus | ||
| BSL010 | 14:00 | Guided tour of Novartis Campus: "Novartis campus building façades" by Gerd Voiht | 2 | |
| 16:00 | Tram transfer to Basel town center, Marktplatz | |||
| 10: Kunstmuseum | 17:00 | Optional self-pay bus tour of Basel architecture with delivery to Fondation Beyeler (Note: self-report for CES continuing education hours.) | ||
| 11: Foundation Beyeler | 18:20 | Arrive Venue 11: Foundation Beyeler | ||
| BSL012 | 18:30 | Guided architectural tour of the Fondation Beyeler by Renzo Piano | 1 | |
| 19:30 | Cocktail reception | |||
| 20:15 | Gala dinner at Fondation Beyeler, Restaurant Berower Park | |||
| 23:00 | End gala dinner | |||
| Sunday, 16 October 2011 | Day 3: Building a Global Workplace – Vitra | |||
| 12: Voltahalle | 08:20 | 12: Voltahalle | ||
| 08:30 | Charter bus transfer from Basel to Weil am Rhein, Germany | |||
| 13: Vitra | 08:50 | Arrive Venue 13: Vitra | ||
| 09:00 | AIA Europe Chapter Meeting | |||
| 10:30 | Coffee break | |||
| BSL013 | 11:00 | Vitra Campus guided architectural tour | 1.5 | |
| 12:30 | Charter bus transfer to Basel 1 (for those not attending lunch) | |||
| 12:30 | Lunch at Vitra | |||
| BSL014 | 14:00 | Guided architectural tour of VitraHaus, by Charlotte Von Moos, project architect for Herzog & de Meuron | 1 | |
| 15:00 | Charter bus transfer to Basel 2 (for those wishing to stay longer at Vitra, there is a public bus to Basel departing every 47 minutes on the hour, e.g. 15:47) | |||
| Total AIA CES Continuing Education Hours | 17 | |||
| Monday, 17 October 2011 | Day 4 Optional Extension: Actelion, Laufen | |||
| 14: Marktplatz | 08:30 | Public bus transfer to Allschwil | ||
| 15: Actelion | 08:40 | Arrive Venue 15: Actelion | ||
| BSL015 | 09:00 | Tour of new Actelion Business Center & New Actelion Lab (under construction), guided by Stefan Marbach, Senior Partner Herzog & de Meuron | 2 | |
| 11:00 | Charter bus transfer to Laufen | |||
| 16: Laufen Forum | 11:30 | Arrive Venue 16: Laufen Forum, Lunch | ||
| BSL013 | 12:15 | Guided tour of Laufen Forum building by Nissen Wenztlaff + Laufen ceramic factory | 1 | |
| 14:00 | Charter bus transfer to Basel | |||
| Total AIA CES Continuing Education Hours for Monday program extension | 3 | |||
| Total AIA CES Continuing Education Hours (including Monday extension) | 20 | |||
| Notes: | ||||
| a | Full CES credit for the 14:50 Lecture 3, pt. 1 includes the 16:15 Panel Discussion and 18:00 Guided boat tour of Rhein Harbor. | ↵ | ||
| b | Full CES credit for the 14:50 Lecture 3, pt. 2 includes the 17:00 Guided walking tour of Volta / Basel Nord. | ↵ | ||
Venue
Basel has its own airport (BSL) that connects to most major cities within Europe.
Transatlantic flights arrive in Zürich Airport (ZRH). Direct train travel from Zürich Airport to Basel Central Station is available. The cost for the 60-90 minute train journey on SBB is typically 36 CHF. Trains depart Zurich Airport for Basel at least every 30 minutes.
Basel is a world class destination for cultural tourism, registrants securing accommodation and travel arrangements will find exceptional support in commonly available travel resources.
Some suggested hotels…
Some suggested restaurants…
- Bon Vivant
- The Gifthüttli
- Brasserie at Hotel Les Trois Rois
- Kunsthalle Bar and Campari Bar
- Restaurant at Hotel Krafft
General information about the city from the Basel Department of Tourism.
Hotel list in english from the Basel Department of Tourism.
View AIA Europe - Basel in a larger map
Questions:
Please direct questions to AIA Europe Switzerland section co-directors and conference organizers Suzanne Marhefka, AIA & Tiffany Melancon, Assoc. AIA, at .
