Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has expanded the Fondation Beyeler museum in Riehen, Switzerland, with a cluster of art buildings designed to nestle into the park setting.
Built in the gardens outside the original Fondation Beyeler art museum, which was designed by Renzo Piano in 1997, the trio of buildings include a rammed-concrete art gallery, a glazed cultural space and a wood-clad office building.
Rather than combine all the functions into one building, Zumthor’s studio Atelier Peter Zumthor chose to scatter them across the museum’s park to help them blend into the surroundings.
“I wanted my buildings to blend in so naturally that it felt completely self-evident,” said Zumthor.
“It makes me happy when people now tell me they look as if they’ve always been here,” Zumthor continued.
“From the outside, the buildings sit beautifully on the site, and inside, they have large, airy spaces that don’t feel formulaic – they are wonderfully expressive, beautiful spaces.”
The three-storey Wyss Museum has a Y-shaped floor plan that avoids existing trees and contains exhibition space with large windows overlooking the surrounding foliage.
Its walls are made from rammed concrete with Jura limestone aggregate, which gives the facades a warm yellow tone.
Jura limestone also appears in the building’s terrazzo flooring, and solid stone staircase and benches.
The Ammann Pavilion is a one-storey building designed as a public lounge and space to host cultural events, such as performances, talks and film screenings.
Glass walls in oak frames immerse the building in the surrounding park.
Cherry and pear wood surfaces add warmth to the interior, which features stepped flooring that doubles as auditorium seats.
Art logistics facilities and offices are located in the Erlen Torhaus building, which is connected to the existing museum by an underground corridor.
Artwork deliveries are processed on the ground floor, which is clad in varnished oak, while workspaces on the upper floors have large windows overlooking the surroundings.
As part of the Fondation Beyeler expansion, Atelier Peter Zumthor worked with Vogt Landscape Architects on the landscaping of the park, which was populated with outdoor artworks by artists Louise Bourgeois, Pierre Huyghe, Rachel Whiteread and Fujiko Nakaya.
Alongside Zumthor’s trio of buildings, existing buildings elsewhere in the museum complex have been restored and updated for new uses.
French architect India Mahdavi transformed the Orangerie building to accommodate a greenhouse and adjoining shop for plant enthusiasts, exposing the original timber roof structure and adding light-green accents.
Swiss studio Forsberg Architekten updated the museum’s Ammann Atelier to provide workspaces for art education and workshops, and created a music listening lounge in the adjacent Salon room.
The expanded Fondation Beyeler will have a preliminary opening with limited visitation from 26 September, before fully opening to the public on 15 January 2027.
Earlier this year, Zumthor’s long-awaited Los Angeles County Museum of Art expansion opened to the public, with artworks displayed in its large, snaking concrete structure.
His other notable projects include Secular Retreat – a holiday home in Devon formed from rammed concrete.
The photography is by Mark Niedermann unless stated.
Project credits:
Architect: Atelier Peter Zumthor
Structural engineer: Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure
HVACR: Waldhauser and Hermann
Plumbing engineering: Probst and Wieland
Electrical engineering: PZM
Timber engineering: Lauber Ingenieure
Landscape architecture: Vogt Landscape Architects
Refrigeration engineering: Refcon
Building physics: BWS Bauphysik
Lighting design: Matì Lichtgestaltung
Daylight design: Institut für Tageslichttechnik
Security and fire safety planning: HKG Consulting
Acoustics: Müller-BBM
Estudio EA