Rehab Basel, Centre for spinal cord and brain injuries, Basel, Switzerland

Architects Herzog & de Meuron met these requirements by designing a multifunctional, building with plazas, gardens, public facilities, and secluded residential quarters allowing the patients as much autonomy as possible. The new centre is a horizontal two-floor building with medical facilities located on the ground floor and the patients’ rooms on the second floor.

When entering the REHAB Basel you get the impression of walking in a small town. After entering the complex through a large courtyard, various inner courtyards provide orientation. You proceed along them until you arrive at your destination. The different places vary considerably. The gym and the patients’ rooms have large windows and views of the landscape. Other structures are oriented inwards like the bathhouse whose small round holes in the roof make the place intimate from within but spectacular-looking from outside. There are places where one can retreat and others in which to enjoy company.

The REHAB Basel is a centre in which patients learn to live again through holistic rehabilitation.

Architects                                  Herzog & de Meuron
Opening                                      2002
Location                                     Basel, Switzerland
Laufen products                      Libertyline toilets