Local agency or remote studio for an architecture firm website in Basel: how to choose (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For a Basel practice specialising in heritage and conservation, the website must prove a rare skill: working on protected buildings, documenting before and after, and reassuring private owners, foundations and public clients. A remote studio fits well when the project is a documented portfolio with a CMS, in English and French, with German supplied by a translator; a local agency takes the lead when German dominates, most clients are public bodies and you want art direction on every site. Because Basel sits on the French and German borders, trilingual content and clear rights on archive images often matter more than distance.

This guide is written for architecture leaders in Basel; pure price comparison is covered in a separate article.

Which option suits which kind of project?

Rather than a generic grid, start from your actual situation:

Kolonell works with a project manager reachable in your time zone, native English or French copywriting and delivery in 3 to 4 weeks. German pages are written by your team or a translator.

When is a Basel agency clearly the better choice?

• When more than 70% of your readers read German and expect a precise local tone.
• When you are preparing a monograph or an exhibition in parallel and want a single art direction.
• When your partners only sign off in physical meetings with printed mock-ups.
• When an agency already holds your identity and source files.

In other cases, proximity is expensive for what it adds. The one element that has to be local is the photography of your buildings, whoever builds the site.

What does each route cost over three years?

2026 ballpark figures, based on typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages:

The Kolonell international offer: Starter CHF 2,700, Growth CHF 4,500 and Premium CHF 8,200, with 3 months of support. See the international website offer. Custom applications and search work are quoted separately.

Heritage practice needs, local rules and questions to ask

• Before and after project pages: surveys, initial condition, interventions, result. An image comparison slider helps a lot.
• Archive images: historical photos often belong to public or private archives. Get written permission and credit the source on every image.
• Recent photos and drone: a written licence from the photographer for web, press and award entries; drone flights in the city are tightly regulated, so check with the pilot.
• Heavy images: AVIF or WebP, lazy loading, LCP under 2.5 s on mobile.
• A qualification form: building type, known protection status, budget band, timeline.
• The architect title: in Switzerland the REG register exists and some cantons regulate practice; describe registrations and qualifications exactly as held.
• Personal data: the nFADP has applied since 1 September 2023. With clients in France and Germany, GDPR may also apply.
• Accessibility: aim for WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA, especially for public clients.

This is not legal advice.

Questions to ask both providers: are the domain and code in our name? Can we publish a competition without a developer? Who writes and proofreads the German? How are archive image rights credited? What does it cost after the support period?

Mini case study

*Illustrative example.* Lukas Brunner is founding partner of a 6-person Basel practice restoring Old Town houses and protected industrial buildings. A third of his clients come from Alsace. A local agency quotes CHF 28,000 plus CHF 300 per month. He compares it with the Growth plan at CHF 4,500, CHF 2,000 of German translation and CHF 200 per month of maintenance after the 3 included months.

• Local agency over 3 years: 28,000 + 300 × 36 = CHF 38,800
• Remote studio over 3 years: 4,500 + 2,000 + 200 × 33 = CHF 13,100
• Gap: CHF 25,700

Since his Alsace clients read French, native French copy weighs heavily. Lukas picks the remote studio and puts CHF 4,000 into a shoot on two completed buildings.

FAQ

Do we need three languages at launch?

Not necessarily: start with the two languages that account for at least 80% of your enquiries. The third can follow in 1 to 2 weeks.

Can we publish archive photos found online?

Not without permission: archives set their own terms. Allow a few weeks and sometimes fees of CHF 50 to 300 per image depending on use.

How many projects should we show?

Ten to fifteen documented projects with before and after are enough at launch. Each new project is then added through the CMS in about 30 minutes.

Can the remote studio come on site?

A visit is rarely needed. The project runs on 2 to 3 video calls and a detailed photo brief for your Basel photographer.

What should the contract cover?

Domain and hosting in your name, plus handover of the code and a CMS export within 10 working days if you leave. These clauses apply to both options.

To price your scope, request a free quote.

Let's scope your project. A documented heritage portfolio in English, French and German from CHF 4,500, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.