With the scheme it drew up for the competition to extend the Kunstmuseum Basel, Christ & Gantenbein – set up in 1998 by Emanuel Christ (Basel, 1970) and Christoph Gantenbein (St. Gallen, 1971) – became known outside Switzerland, and it has since consolidated a place among leading practices in the Alpine country. With geometric severity and a serene monolithic presence, it sets the new in confrontation with the existing, and creates spaces of stark material quality. All this shines through in the three projects featured here, each one reflecting a facet of the Swiss soul: historical tradition, cutting-edge technology, and exquisite chocolate.