Coop headquarters, Basel (Switzerland)
With a lot of the existing building stock in need of energy efficient refurbishment, especially office buildings from the 1960s and 70s are suitable for the integration of solar technology due to their often clear construction and gridded facades. This was implemented in exemplary fashion in the renovation of this high-rise building (1978, Gass+Boos Architekten).
The 14-storey building is characterised by an elegant facade that is slightly slanted to the edges, large-scale glazing and narrow parapet strips, chamfered corners with a 45-degree window axis, and the external supporting structure made of reinforced concrete. As part of
the renovation, the metal parapet panels were replaced with PV modules.
Monocrystalline modules are used on all sides, whose front glass is coloured “slightly black” by an internal ceramic print. This creates slight matting on the surface, where the cells are hardly noticeable, and to a very homogeneous overall impression. 158 kW were installed across a 1,628 m2 area and will generate a predicted energy yield of 70,000 kWh/a.
The renovated facade impresses with its precise detailing; offsetting the PV strips from the slightly protruding glazing creates a nuanced rhythm and offers a compelling technical and design solution.
The project received an award by the jury of the “Architecture Award Building-Integrated Solar Technology 2022“.
Project partners
Owner/Operator: Coop Immobilien AG
Architect: Burckhardt+Partner AG
Planning of the facade: NM Fassadentechnik AG
Planning of the PV system: BE Netz AG
Facade engineering: Aepli Metallbau AG
PV modules: Megasol Energie AG
Get an Overview of the series "Solar architecture at its best – Excellent projects from the Architecture Award Building Integrated Solar Technology 2022 introduced briefly“
About the Architecture Award Building Integrated Solar Technology
The “Architecture Award Building-Integrated Solar Technology“ was started in the year 2000 by the Solarenergieförderverein Bayern (Bavarian Association for the Promotion of Solar Energy) and held since then for the 9th time. The award is established as an international competition concerning the interface between architecture and solar energy. The prize honors exemplary contributions of planning and designing building-integrated solar systems.
In the last edition of the competition the jury singled out 15 projects from 121 entries, which we want to present in a series. The jury was unanimous in its positive assessment that even with very different building tasks, and in different environments, these projects show that photovoltaic modules and solar thermal collectors can be successfully integrated with equal ambition in terms of design and technology.