The swiss museum’s new ensemble begins gradual opening
Peter Zumthor’s expansion of the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen near Basel begins its opening to the public, with the new ensemble gradually revealed from September 26th, 2026, ahead of its full opening in January 2027 (find designboom’s previous coverage here). Three new buildings, an expanded park, and restored historic structures extend the museum beyond Renzo Piano’s existing structure, creating a larger setting for art, architecture, nature, and public life. ‘This understanding of the place was important to me. I wanted my buildings to blend in so naturally, that it felt completely self-evident. It makes me happy when people now tell me they look as if theyʼve always been here. Thatʼs a wonderful compliment for my work,’ the architect says of the new architecture.
Zumthor has distributed the functions of the expansion across the Wyss Museum, Ammann Pavilion, and Erlen Torhaus, each responding differently to the existing landscape. The project also opens a formerly private section of the heritage-listed park to visitors, adding almost 10,000 square meters of gardens, meadows, trees, and water features to the museum grounds.
the expanded ensemble of the Fondation Beyeler, Wyss Museum by Atelier Peter Zumthor | Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999, Bronze with silver nitrate patina, stainless steel and marble, 927,1 x 891,5 x 1023,6 cm; Collection The Easton Foundation, New York© The Easton Foundation / 2026, ProLitteris, Zurich | image by Iwan Baan
three buildings instead of one large extension
Following a study involving 11 architecture practices, Zumthor’s proposal was unanimously selected by the international jury. The acclaimed Swiss architect divided the new functions between three buildings with distinct forms and materials, reducing the overall volume of the extension. ‘If we’d crammed all the functions onto a single plot, we’d have ended up with one big building with everything squeezed into a single box,’ Zumthor explains. ‘I like art museums that really only serve art, so I split up the different functions.’
The approach to the project also reflects his understanding of the site as a place shaped by an older pattern of villas, gardens, paths, and water. Zumthor says he wanted the new architecture to feel as though it belonged to the location rather than announcing itself as a separate intervention. ‘I wanted my buildings to blend in so naturally, that it felt completely self-evident,’ he adds.
the Wyss Museum adds around 1,500 square meters of exhibition space | image by Mark Niedermann
Peter Zumthor’s Wyss Museum centers on stone and side light
The Wyss Museum adds around 1,500 square meters of exhibition space across three floors. Its irregular Y-shaped plan was developed around an existing ginkgo, a redwood, and a group of plane trees, turning the constraints of the site into the organizing principle of the building. The large windows of the museum frame views of verdant surroundings, including the Jura and Black Forest on clear days. An upper-level terrace connects back to the park by an external staircase, extending the sequence of movement beyond the galleries.
The museum is constructed largely around Jura limestone, a material Zumthor uses across the building. The stone appears in benches and staircases, terrazzo floors, ceiling aggregate, and mineral plaster, while the rammed-concrete facade takes on a warm yellow tone from the local limestone. For the architect, the material was connected to the character of the site and to the idea of a new villa within the historic park. ‘It was clear to me that this park needed a new villa. And now it has one. Of course, a villa is not made of wood. It’s made of stone. And if it’s made of stone, it has to be my favorite stone: Jura limestone,’ he shares. The rammed-concrete facade was built by hand over almost a year by a single team, leaving subtle variations and traces of the construction process visible on the surface. Zumthor deliberately accepted these irregularities because they reveal how the building was made rather than presenting the facade as a perfectly uniform skin.‘You have to see how it came about,’ the architect highlights. ‘I want people to realize that this isn’t just a facade. It’s moulded, layered, made by hand.’
The interior is also organized around movement and changing views rather than a conventional gallery corridor. Zumthor describes the Wyss Museum as ‘one big spiral’, with visitors moving upward from the street and through a continuous sequence of spaces before returning toward the garden. This circulation allows the landscape to remain part of the museum experience. ‘Art doesn’t compete with the landscape; the two work together,’ Peter Zumthor notes, describing a building in which side light and framed views replace the more enclosed character of a conventional gallery. While Renzo Piano’s museum draws on industrial construction and top lighting, Zumthor chose a language based on stone, rammed concrete, and light entering from the side.
the museum is constructed largely around Jura limestone | image by Mark Niedermann
a pavilion for art, music, and public life at Fondation Beyeler
Between the two museum buildings and the historic structures, the Ammann Pavilion acts as a social center for the expanded ensemble. The single-story building combines glass and oak, opening broadly onto the park, while cherry and pear wood give the interior a warmer character. The pavilion is free to enter and can operate independently of museum hours. During the day, it functions as a public lounge where visitors and passers-by can sit, read, meet, or spend time in the park. In the evening, it becomes a venue for concerts, performances, talks, film screenings, and other cultural events for up to 250 people.
Its acoustic design was an important part of the architecture. The room had to accommodate both music and social gatherings, which require different acoustic conditions. Zumthor describes the challenge as creating enough horizontal reflection for music while also allowing the space to absorb the higher noise levels generated by receptions and dinners.
Set into the slope at the level of the upper garden, its interior steps gently toward the stage, taking advantage of a height difference that was already part of the historic landscape. ‘For me, the landscape, the urban cityscape, the urban landscape and nature, is the greatest thing we have,’ Peter Zumthor says. ‘If we carefully construct in response to the landscape, if we genuinely see it as it is, then the building we design naturally recedes in importance.’
the acclaimed Swiss architect divided the new functions between three buildings | image by Mark Niedermann
reopening the park as part of the museum
The architectural expansion is accompanied by an equally significant change to the landscape. Almost 10,000 square meters of formerly private parkland are being opened to the public, extending the existing 19th-century English landscape gardens designed by Jean-François Caillat. The new section has a more enclosed and informal character than the existing park, with species-rich meadows, native orchids, wooded areas, and water features. The park is also connected directly to the Landschaftspark Wiese nature reserve, creating a larger ecological setting around the museum.
A delicate bridge designed by Zumthor crosses the pond, offering visitors a slow passage through the landscape with views of artworks placed among the trees, meadows, and water. Works by Alexander Calder, Jenny Holzer, Ellsworth Kelly, Philippe Parreno, Thomas Schütte, and Fischli/Weiss are joined by new works by Louise Bourgeois, Pierre Huyghe, Rachel Whiteread, and Fujiko Nakaya. For Zumthor, the landscape shapes both the architecture and the way visitors move through the site. The new structures frame views, establish paths, and create a public square between the Torhaus, museum, and pavilion. The square follows the line of a former village brook, which Zumthor sees as one of the less visible historical traces connecting the site. ‘You don’t need to analyse it intellectually, you can simply feel it,’ he proposes.
the Erlen Torhaus marks the transition from the village to the nature reserve | image by Katalin Deér
historic buildings become spaces for new uses
Several existing structures have also been restored and given new functions. The heritage-listed Orangerie, redesigned by India Mahdavi, combines a small greenhouse with a shop for plant lovers. Its planting scheme focuses on species already capable of thriving in Switzerland and considers how plants may respond to changing climatic conditions, with botanical gardens and research institutions contributing to the project.
The Ammann Atelier accommodates up to 50 people for art education programs. During the opening year, its free Open Studio will also give visitors a place to work on their own at weekends. Nearby, the Salon is set up as a listening room with more than 2,000 vinyl records, ranging from Baroque and jazz to electronic music. The smallest of the new spaces is the Folly, a compact exhibition room whose column-like form recalls a small classical temple.
The Erlen Torhaus marks the transition from the village to the nature reserve. Its lower level handles artwork deliveries before they move down to the exhibition preparation areas, while the upper floors contain workspaces. The simple timber-frame facade is finished in stained oak and takes its cue from Zumthor’s studio in Haldenstein, Switzerland.
the lower level of Erlen Torhaus handles artwork deliveries | image by Iwan Baan
an ensemble rather than an extension
The expanded Fondation Beyeler will first open through a limited preview phase before welcoming visitors every day from January 15th, 2027. The inaugural program will bring exhibitions, concerts, performances, workshops, film screenings, music sessions, and botanical events to the new and restored spaces.
The first major exhibition, Constellations, brings more than 200 works from the Fondation Beyeler collection and private collections across the two museum buildings, the park, and the historic structures. The exhibition will change with the seasons, allowing different works and spaces to come into focus as visitors move through the ensemble.
With the expansion, the Fondation Beyeler becomes a larger place to experience art, but also somewhere to spend time outside the galleries. Visitors can move between exhibitions, gardens, cultural events, and the restored buildings, with the architecture and landscape forming part of the experience. Asked what he wants people to associate with the new buildings, Peter Zumthor is clear about his intention: ‘I try to build buildings that are loved.’
the expanded Fondation Beyeler will first open through a limited preview phase | image by Iwan Baan
an upper-level terrace connects the museum back to the park by an external staircase | image by Iwan Baan
Alexander Calder, The Tree, 1966 Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel© 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York | image by Iwan Baan
the architectural expansion is accompanied by an equally significant change to the landscape | image by Mark Niedermann
the Ammann Pavilion acts as a social center for the expanded ensemble | Alexander Calder, The Tree, 1966 Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel© 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York | image by Mark Niedermann
the room had to accommodate both music and social gatherings, | Alexander Calder, The Tree, 1966 Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel© 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York | image by Katalin Deér
Roni Horn, Untitled (“A dream dreamt in a dreaming world is not really a dream…but a dream not dreamt is.”), 2010-2012 Claude Monet, Le bassin aux nymphéas, um 1920© Roni Horn | image by Stefan Altenburger
installation view of Constellations | image by Mark Niedermann
Constellations brings together more than 200 works | image by Mark Niedermann
the exhibition will change with the seasons | image by Mark Niedermann
the large windows of the museum frame views of verdant surroundings | image by Mark Niedermann
installation view of Constellations | image by Mark Niedermann
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image by Mark Niedermann
image by Sabine Hess
image by Sabine Hess
Alexander Calder, The Tree, 1966 Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel © 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York | image by Katalin Deér
Pablo Picasso, Le Sauvetage, 1932 © Succession Picasso / 2026, ProLitteris, Zurich | image by Mark Niedermann
installation view of Constellations | image by Mark Niedermann
installation view of Constellations | image by Mark Niedermann
installation view of Constellations | image by Mark Niedermann
image by Mark Niedermann
project info:
name: Fondation Beyeler expansion
architecture: Peter Zumthor
location: Riehen near Basel, Switzerland
client: Fondation Beyeler | @fondationbeyeler
existing museum: Renzo Piano
new buildings: Wyss Museum, Ammann Pavilion, logistics building
Estudio EA