Built between 1960 and 1965, the Brunnmattschulhaus school building is one of the rare examples of the so-called "brutalist-plastic" style practised in the city of Basel. This style was inspired by Le Corbusier's late work and the British new brutalism movement. The Brunnmattschulhaus was designed by one of Switzerland's main brutalist exponents, Walter Maria Förderer, in partnership with Rolf Georg Otto and Hans Zwimpfer. Acting as part of a consortium with Basel-based architectural practice BRI-Architekten, we provided lead design services for the comprehensive refurbishment scheme. The brief called for the careful restoration of the building's original appearance and architectural presence. This was to be combined with a modernization of the building fabric and operational concept in line with the contemporary demands placed on a school, together with all alterations needed to meet authority requirements. The refurbishment works were carried out under operating conditions.