In the historic centre of Basel, there is a building with a long history dating back to the 14th century: the Volskshaus. It is a place that has been inhabited and crossed by very different people since its inception, and used for various political, social and cultural activities.

In 2011, the two restaurant entrepreneurs Leopold Weinberg and Adrian Hagenbach acquired the building with the aim of renovating it maintaining its original character as a "city within a city". They assigned the entire renovation of the building to Herzog & de Meuron, who also designed the boutique hotel. With its hybrid and refined character, the new Volkshaus hotel combines history and contemporaneity.

The architects' approach is explicit in the hotel's lobby, where works of art from the von Bartha gallery dialogue with the space's precious decorations, such as the hand-crafted marble mosaic floor.

The 45 rooms located on the upper floors of the building have a modern character and are carefully designed with the best materials, furnishings and finishes. For the design of the bathrooms, the choice could only fall on the leading Swiss company Laufen.

Apart from the large windows flooding them with light, nothing remains of the original structure in the rooms. Herzog & de Meuron, however, took their cue from the classic Grand Hotel bedrooms of the early twentieth century, in which the bathrooms, except for the washbasin, were typically located outside in the corridor.

The washbasin from Laufen's VAL collection is located at the front of the rooms, while the shower and toilet are hidden behind black-stained oak doors - an allusion to the built-in wardrobes of the past. The VAL washbasins are by German designer Konstantin Grcic and are characterised by simple architectural lines, extremely thin edges and delicate surface structures. They are mounted on custom-made metal furniture that perfectly matches the dark terrazzo floor, the black and green ceramic walls and the wooden doors.

Herzog & de Meuron and Laufen are among the leading representatives of Swiss quality in the world of design. The Volkshaus boutique hotel represents the dialogue of these two excellences, becoming a place for all those who love art, culture and architecture.