"Treating existing values with respect": Anja Beer and David Merz lead visiting studio at D-ARCH
The architectural practice Beer Merz from Basel has made a name for itself with transformations. It is currently working on the renovation and optimization of the Grossmünster church in Zurich.
Anja Beer and David Merz both studied architecture at the FHNW Muttenz. They founded their office in Basel in 2010. Anja Beer has been Co-President of the Swiss Architects' Association BSA since this year together with Lilit Bollinger, who is also heading a guest studio at ETH in the fall. David Merz has been a member of the SIA 102 commission, which regulates the services and fees of architects, since 2018.
In addition to a number of new buildings, the firm has made a name for itself with conversions in particular. A few years ago, Beer Merz renovated the First Church of Christ Scientist in Basel, which was built by Otto Rudolf Salvisberg in 1936. The architects converted the listed building into a rehearsal room and office for the Basel Symphony Orchestra. The interventions were developed in consultation with the conservation authorities and are largely reversible. The project was awarded the "Gutes Bauen" award of both Basel in 2023.
Beer Merz recently renovated the Villa Merian, which is part of the Merian Gardens Münchenstein and was reopened in May. Anja Beer and David Merz worked closely with the Canton of Basel-Landschaft's monument preservation authorities to dismantle the fixtures from the 1970s and 1990s and carefully restore the villa. The architects are currently working on the restoration and optimization of the Grossmünster church in Zurich, which will last until 2029. Together with the building owners, the conservation authorities and the users, a guideline has been drawn up that will also serve as a basis for future renovations. The central attitude is: "Return to simplicity".
Under the title “Islands”, Anja Beer and David Merz discuss during their visiting studio at the Institute for Preservation and Construction History (IDB) what monument protection and monument preservation mean for building in existing structures. "Treating existing values with respect, exploring the potential of a building and a site, identifying and solving problems should lead to the development of individual, sensitive strategies," the two explain. The design studio takes place together with the elective subject "Repair: Keep in Place" and the seminar week on the Schatzalp in Davos. "The aim of this overarching teaching format is to look at the preservation of a structure on different scales and from different perspectives."
Visiting studios
Every year the Department of Architecture invites six visiting studios, that teach design for one to four semesters. They are selected by the institutes with the involvement of the professors, the mid-level academic staff and the students. In the fall semester 2024, in addition to the landscape architect Céline Baumann and the architects Oliver Lütjens and Thomas Padmanabhan, the department is welcoming the ZAS* association, the architect Lillit Bollinger, the architect Gilles Retsin and Anja Beer and David Merz from the Beer Merz architecture office as design guests.