Here you can learn all about the exciting projects and collaborations that kHaus is implementing with various partners.
The kHaus Plaza is a public, consumption-free space designed to invite people to linger. As in other public areas, different user groups come together, which does not always happen without friction. This can lead to tensions that need to be addressed.
In 2023, the Plaza was increasingly visited by young men with refugee backgrounds, sometimes leading to conflicts over space usage with other visitors. To address these challenges and better understand the situation and needs of Plaza visitors with refugee experiences, we implemented a six-month dialogue project in collaboration with the Stadtteilsekretariat Kleinbasel
As part of this initiative, a social worker was engaged to conduct around 20 conversations with the young men. The goal was to gain insight into their experiences and develop approaches to ease tensions. Additionally, the project sought to find ways to effectively communicate the Plaza’s rules and opportunities in an accessible manner while overcoming language barriers.
The insights from these 20 conversations formed the basis for developing recommendations and measures. You can find the handout with these recommendations here.
To communicate the rules of the kHaus Plaza in an engaging way, the idea of a «Wimmelbild» was born. It was created by Basel-based illustrator Mattia Serena. The illustration is displayed in the Plaza and can also be explored on our website at the following link:
Elaborated recommendations for action (1.10.2024).
Since summer 2024, the Sprachmobil association has been offering a free German learning program for refugees in front of the kHaus. The aim of the cooperation with the Sprachmobil is to make local people aware of the low-threshold learning offer and to invite them to free learning encounters. On Tuesdays, the language mobile parks in front of the kHaus on the Rhine side. On Fridays, the courses take place in the kHaus.
With the aim of making the Plaza more accessible and attractive to a younger audience, the funding platform CATAPULT Basel and kHaus invited participants to eleven co-creation workshops as part of the «CATACITY» collaboration project. Seven classes from the Zentrum für Brückenangebote, Gymnasium Bäumlihof, and the Gewerbeschule explored the question of which material and immaterial measures could improve their well-being in the Plaza.
This process resulted in ten thematic areas, from which three key idea fields were defined. These were put out to an open call for implementation in March 2025:
In total, CATAPULT Basel made CHF 50,000 available for the implementation of young people’s ideas in the Plaza.
Out of seven submitted projects, the following two proposals received funding in summer 2025:
Between autumn 2025 and spring 2026, the Durchzug collective carried out its event series «Durchzug» at the kHaus Plaza. The events focused on the themes of sharing, resonance, and care, and were intended for a young audience aged 14 to 25. Under the titles «Beauty Salon,» «Kerzenziehen & Techno,» «Gaming Day,» and «Repariertag,» the collective organized a total of thirteen well-attended and diverse events at the kHaus Plaza.
Mare Tranquilitatis («Sea of Tranquility») refers to a quiet plain on the Moon—here, it serves as a metaphor for a place where one can pause and take a breath. A space that offers moments of lightness, retreat, and renewal within everyday urban life.
The project aims to develop retreat spaces for the kHaus Plaza in order to create a place of calm within this area of encounter.
Since September 2025, the project has evolved through public participation: during the kHaus Festival in September 2025, initial conceptual models were developed together with visitors. In a second workshop at the end of October 2025, a group of young adults (ages 18–25) tested the first prototype and provided valuable feedback on use, atmosphere, spatial perception, and materiality.
Impressions from the CATACITY Workshops in the Plaza. Credits: Giorgia Spina
Impressions from the «Durchzug» Events at the kHaus Plaza. Photos: «Durchzug» collective