Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has unveiled a new £110 million extension to the Beyeler Foundation museum in Riehen, near Basel, marking his first project in his hometown. The gallery, characterized by its monolithic appearance and rammed concrete construction, serves as a distinct counterpart to the original Beyeler building, a 1997 design by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Zumthor, 83, drew on his early experiences growing up in Basel and apprenticing in his father’s cabinet-making workshop, emphasizing craftsmanship and custom-made elements throughout the project. The extension's walls, composed of layers of pale, crumbly concrete mixed with Jura limestone from his youth, were built by hand—applied in slow, deliberate 45-centimeter increments to preserve the texture of the material and highlight visible joints between each layer. The approach, which Zumthor describes as “farmer concrete,” purposefully avoids the slick finish often seen in modern architecture, instead celebrating the tactile and handcrafted nature of the building.
The addition expands the museum’s footprint by incorporating the adjacent Iselin-Weber park, previously a private woodland, effectively doubling the size of the museum campus. Zumthor’s design includes not only the new gallery but also two complementary structures: a five-story timber-clad office and art-handling facility, and a pavilion auditorium conceived as a multifunctional public lounge accessible without a ticket. Sam Keller, the foundation’s director, noted the auditorium’s transformation into a lively social space, contrasting with the typically underused museum auditoriums found elsewhere.
The original Beyeler Foundation building, designed by Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 1997, is acknowledged for its elegant simplicity and use of natural light, housed within a stone-clad structure adjacent to an 18th-century villa. Despite its critical acclaim and ongoing popularity as Switzerland’s most visited art museum—attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually—the original facility soon proved inadequate in size for the collection, prompting expansions.
Zumthor’s project deliberately contrasts with Piano’s industrial, hi-tech aesthetic by presenting a more intimate, domestic identity intended to integrate with the expanded natural surroundings. Elements such as pear wood handrails, leather benches, and Italian hand-blown glass lamps reflect Zumthor’s commitment to artisanal craftsmanship, a stark departure from the standardized products common in large-scale architectural projects elsewhere.
The outdoor space between the buildings forms a public gathering area featuring a stone drinking fountain reminiscent of mountain village traditions, stone benches embedded in the facade, and artwork including a rooftop sculpture by Maurizio Cattelan. This new public square reinforces Zumthor’s emphasis on creating architecture that invites human interaction and offers places for rest and contemplation.
Reflecting on his return to Basel, Zumthor shared that the project holds deep personal significance. A recent documentary by Wim Wenders revealed the architect’s desire for the building to “glow” with the same warm qualities as the Jura limestone features from his youth, embodying a continuity between his past and his architectural vision.
The Beyeler Foundation extension is seen as a continuation of Zumthor’s architectural language, notably his use of rammed concrete—a technique also employed in previous works such as the Bruder Klaus field chapel—bringing together rigorous craftsmanship and natural materials to craft a gallery that honors both place and history.