Boltshauser Architekten Wins Basel Aquarium Competition, Zaha Hadid only 3rd

In the international architectural competition for the new 'Ozeanium' Aquarium in Basel, Switzerland, the proposal 'Seacliff' by Boltshauser Architekten has been selected as the winning entry. The Zurich-based firm beat out tough competition from big architectural names, like Zaha Hadid Architects, who came in third, or David Chipperfield Architects, MVRDV, and Behnisch Architekten who only made the shortlist.

The jury praised the restraint in Seacliff's architectural language as well as the compact building volume, deemed most suitable for this inner-city site. The competition had received 55 entries from around the world.

Following are images of the winners places 2 through 7, as well as shortlisted entries.

All images courtesy Basel Aquarium competition.