Zumthor Selected for Beyeler Expansion

The expansion will be located on the adjacent, private Iselin-Weber Park, which the Fondation Beyeler acquired after announcing their intention to expand in early 2015. Zumthor, who was born in Basel, said in statement, "The sky above Basel, the city and its surroundings–those are the landscapes of my youth. It is heart-warming to be able to design a major building here." Although images of his design won't be released until the late fall/early winter, a construction permit has already been filed.

Zumthor's proposal was selected for the privately financed, CHF 80 million expansion by an evaluation board that consisted of architects Wiel Arets, Roger Diener, Jean Nouvel, Annabelle Selldorf, as well as Vitra chairman Rolf Fehlbaum and Fondation Beyeler director Sam Keller.

Although the Beyer has not revealed the size of the expansion, it is expected to be smaller than the Piano building – and MUCH smaller than Zumthor's ongoing design for LACMA in Los Angeles.