"Methusalix (French: Agecanonix) is the village elder. He is 93 years old and is a member of the village council. However, his age does not prevent him from taking part in the village fights; he even gets offended when someone wants to go easy on him because of his age. He cleverly uses his walking stick as a weapon, while the retaliatory carriages he receives are often aimed at other villagers because he is considered too old to be beaten."
Dear reader, Asterix and Obelix have accompanied many of us through our youth. But the fact that Methusalix has settled in Basel surprises us and makes us smile. In fact, there is a project called www.methusalix.ch. It's a residential project in Lysbüchel. Curious, I knocked on the door of our neighbor, Dieter Häner. He is the initiator of this project and will also be moving in. But read for yourself:
Dear Dieter, you are named on the Methusalix homepage. How did that come about?
The Methusalix project was my initiative, initially under the bland name "Living in old age". This name encompasses the basic idea, but the age was to be hinted at with a wink, which is how I came up with Methusalix. The homepage introduces the board of the methusalix housing cooperative and I appear there as treasurer.
You are a group of people who are planning and carrying out this housing project. How did you come about?
We are 9 parties with a total of 13 people who came together during the course of the project. In the first phase, we were a core group of four people, with a steady stream of interested friends and acquaintances joining us (and some saying goodbye again), until the current residents were finally formed.
How many years in advance do you plan a project like this?
I have heard from various sources that it is difficult or even impossible to plan such a project without being able to show a concrete object. It was the same with methusalix. My idea of an age-appropriate form of housing had been around for some time, but it was only when the tender for the development of the Lysbüchel site was published that we were able to start planning in earnest. In our case, that was just over three years ago. The first parties will move in at the end of April 2021.
Was it difficult to find a suitable new-build project? Or did you also look at existing old buildings?
If a residential project is not only to meet all the requirements for age-appropriate living, but also meet the demands for sustainability, energy efficiency and affordable living space, it can only be achieved with a new build. Renovating an old building in this way would go far beyond the budget. It should be emphasized that a new building on urban land with low rents can only be realized if the building land is granted building rights. In Basel, it is the Habitat Foundation that makes many of its plots available in an exemplary manner.
When the "Lysbüchel Süd" development was put out to tender in spring 2018, we applied with a preliminary project.
How is such a project financed?
In order to be able to finance such a project, you need to know exactly which housing subsidy options can be used. We were lucky enough to find an architect in our circle of friends who had already completed a similar housing project with his office. After winning the bid from the Habitat Foundation, we set about founding a housing cooperative. Because only with a suitable organizational form (it could also be an association or a company) can the building lease agreement and the applications for favourable loans be concluded or submitted.
I assume that all of you in the core group are already retired. What specialist professions were required to set up Methusalix?
No, not everyone has retired yet. What's most in demand are professions that have to do with building and furnishing, and someone who knows a bit about finance. But a good architect's office takes many problems and tasks off your hands.
Have you discussed the pros and cons of living together?
The situation is as follows: we have 5 2-room and 4 3-room apartments, all with kitchen, bathroom and balcony. This means that each party can live on their own without having to worry about the others. The idea, however, is to maintain lively contact between the residents. On the one hand, a spacious stairwell with benches and plants on each floor serves this purpose. We want to encourage people to take the stairs (as long as they can) and perhaps stop for a chat on the way. On the other hand, we have set up a club room on the first floor that can also be used by the residents. Film evenings, concerts, readings and festivities are planned. This actually only has advantages, the disadvantages are - so far - none recognizable.
Do you know Seniors@Work?
I only know Seniors@Work from PR appearances in public.
If some of the know-how is missing in your group: could the knowledge of the seniors from Seniors@Work be useful to you?
What a similar group might lack are accounting skills, organizational talents, people with a flair for house maintenance.
Dear Dieter, I wish you every success with your exciting and innovative project!
You also gave me the following tip: "In the original version of "Asterix and Obelix", Methusalix appears as Agecanonix. Methusalix (French Agecanonix, "canonical age", i.e. "ancient") is a veteran of the battles of Gergovia and Alesia and has long been the village elder."
Should you become the village elder of the community in Basel, I very much hope that everyone will bow down to you respectfully! 😉
And thank you very much for the interview.
Beatrice Isler
