Basel: Circulation house on the Franck Areal approved

Building permission has been granted for the renovation of the Kreislaufhaus on the Franck site at Horburgstrasse 105 in Basel's Klybeck district. The former tube factory - the largest building on the site - is to become the center of excellence for the circular economy in the Basel region, offering office, studio and workshop space for start-ups, small companies and organizations with circular business models from spring 2027. The largest building on the site will soon be covered in scaffolding, according to the client's press release.

Circulation principles for sanitation and energy

The conversion follows the principles of the circular economy: sanitary facilities and water cycles are set up in a circular way, including local water treatment and nutrient recycling. A second-life photovoltaic system is intended to show that the circular economy can also be implemented in energy generation. Initial work without the need for a permit was already carried out last year, including the dismantling of the former production facilities and the installation of new vacuum windows.
Plans for the Kreislaufhaus include fully equipped rooms for smaller tenants as well as tenant-specific floors for office or production use, with an industry focus on textiles, food and construction. Architecture and planning are the responsibility of baubüro insitu, which specializes in repurposing, in collaboration with Zirkular GmbH, which focuses on the reuse of building components.

Previous history

The approximately 12,000 square meter site to the west of the former Thomi + Franck mustard and mayonnaise factory was sold by Nestlé Switzerland to KULTQuartier Immobilien AG, which was founded specifically for this purpose, in 2022. It is backed by siblings Corinne and Gabriel Eckenstein as well as other investors, including the Abendrot Foundation. Wegwarte AG has taken over the operational development under building rights, supported by the project developers Barbara Buser, Bernhard Gysin, Eric Honegger and Christoph Peter - Buser and Honegger are already known for the development of the Gundeldinger Feld. The site development has four main focuses - Kreislaufhaus, Tanzhaus, Quartier and residential - and is to be implemented entirely within the existing building stock. IB has already agreed to take over the site reports.