Renovation of the Technical high school Basel with Eucalyptus veneer

Complete renovation of the listed technical high school building from the 1960s, conversion of the ground and base floors with a differentiated lounge area.

The redesign of the room program and the fire protection concept allows a flexible use of the ground and base floors. Students will now find a recreation area that blends in with the existing building, emphasizes existing qualities and enables various forms of learning.

Roser was consulted already in the planning phase in order to give an assessment of the veneers and wood-based materials used. The African Koto veneer used in 1960 for most of the interior fittings can no longer be used today due to the problem of tropical wood.

Early on, architects and planners were looking for a wood species that was as similar as possible to the character of the veneer used at the time. In Roser's concept.room, several sample surfaces from different wood species were compiled and evaluated. These samples had to meet several criteria, among others the protection of historical monuments had to accept the new veneer.

In the end the choice fell on a quiet, light and simple European wood: eucalyptus. Roser's warehouse had enough large veneer logs in stock to be able to deliver the interior fittings - both as raw veneer and as finished veneered panels or doors - in a relatively short time.

The aim of the overall renovation is to expose the original character and meet current requirements of users and authorities (including earthquake proofing, fire protection measures and facade renovation).

• Project ffbk Architekten AG

Wood type Eucalyptus:

• in our Veneer Library