The firm Herzog & de Meuron recently completed the renovation and new extension of the Stadtcasino Basel. Built in 1876, this concert hall is one of Europe’s oldest, world-renowned for its acoustics.

What started as an urban study in 2012 has resulted in the preservation and restoration of the building and in a new construction, generating more space on several levels for rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, foyers, and cafeterias. On the outside, the extension takes inspiration from the building’s neo-Baroque architectural tradition, while inside, the 19th-century stylistic elements are upgraded. The project prioritized preservation of the concert hall’s acoustic properties, reopened the skylight and windows that were closed in a previous intervention, recreated the original seats, laid a duplicate of the old parquet flooring, and brought back the color schemes of the first renovation, carried out in 1905 by the architect Fritz Stehlin. Video