Basel: Axa submits building application for main post office
Work on the conversion of Basel's main post office is due to start next year. The owner Axa Investment Foundation is planning retail space and offices, among other things.
The striking, listed building of the main post office on Freie Strasse/Gerbergasse in Basel's city centre is to be renovated and put to new use. After the Post Office recently ceased operations in the building, the Axa Investment Foundation, as the owner, has submitted the building application for the conversion work. The project is the brainchild of Herzog & deMeuron.
In particular, the ground floor is to be made more open and brighter. To this end, the technical floor in the original atrium is to be removed and converted into an inner courtyard with a glass roof. In addition, the windows facing Gerbergasse, Rüdengasse and Freie Strasse are to be repaired. Around 1,500 sqm of retail space will be created in the former counter hall for uses such as shops, service outlets, restaurants or a post office. Around 5,000 sqm of office and other service space is planned on the remaining five floors.
Initial construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2022, with the renovation expected to be completed in 2024. (ah)
