Kuppel Basel Concert Venue / Vécsey Schmidt Architekt:innen

From provisional tent to permanent concert club: the new Kuppel Basel is an impressive venue for the music scene. Basel-based Vécsey Schmidt Architekt:innen built a permanent concert venue for the city's pop music scene – right in the middle of an idyllic park on the edge of the city center. The shape of the Kuppel Basel refers to a temporary dome tent from 1988 that stood on the same location, and which was known far and wide for the concerts that were held there. The new, permanent institution will help to promote upcoming bands and provide a venue for concerts and parties. An unconventional piece of architecture, that is focussed entirely on its interior and at the same time – together with a neighboring extension building – solves urban planning questions. Club scene concerts are often held in dark basements or abandoned industrial estates, where they don't bother anybody. Not so in Basel: here pop culture has now acquired a jewel, located right in the middle of a park between the zoo and the city center. Any passer-by who does not know about the function of the solitary octagonal building with its unusual vaulted structure might mistake it for some sort of pavilion – if it weren't so hermetically sealed. Thanks to sophisticated soundproofing measures, the beats inside can be cranked up, while on the outside people going for a stroll or neighbors sleeping with open windows remain undisturbed.