ArchitectureEcodesigner Petz Scholtus came into the hotel business after a crisis of meaning: she didn't want to create more products, but wanted to create a sustainable living space for people. Their credo is the reuse of materials that have already been used - but without looking like recycling. Accordingly, existing materials were reused wherever possible when renovating the apartments: parts of the old wooden doors can now be found in the headrests of the beds and the old lamps were simply rewired. Recycled materials were also used in the kitchen: they were made from old pallets and the work surface was recycled. Furniture and furnishings consist of a mix of second-hand goods, such as the mirror or sink, and handmade ecodesign pieces by local artisans. Great efforts have been made to restore and protect the original 19th-century mosaic floors. New walls were laid over the old tiles so that - in the event that someone wants to do it in a hundred years - the original condition can be restored without damaging the floor. The same applies to the decorations on the ceilings. The focus is on awareness and respect for the history of the place. The YÖK is a real piece of Barcelona.

SocialIn order to compensate for the CO2 emissions caused by the renovation of the apartments, Rodríguez and Scholtus had several trees planted in a national park. They want to repeat this every year in order to be able to keep ongoing operations CO2 neutral. Some of the design pieces in the YÖK apartments were made in cooperation with a workshop in Barcelona, which reintegrates the homeless into working life. Guests who like the furniture can purchase these pieces from the workshop.

EnvironmentThe managers of the Yök take an environmentally friendly approach. In the YÖK, only electrical appliances with a grade A are used, i.e. those that work particularly energy-saving. The same applies to the air conditioning and LED lighting. An automatic system was also installed that switches off the air conditioning / heating as soon as a window is opened. The apartments are supplied by a green electricity provider. Water saving devices are installed on all taps and shower heads. In the YÖK office, the process water from the sink is recycled to flush the toilet. Shopping baskets are available for guests so that they can do without plastic bags. Instead of buying water in plastic bottles, visitors can fill their own drinking containers with filtered tap water. Recycling is made easy for visitors at YÖK: the appropriate containers and instructions are available everywhere. The comfortable beds are made of 100 percent natural materials. Only environmentally friendly products are used for cleaning. The Yök Apartments website is hosted on the climate-neutral Acorn platform. Wherever possible, existing materials were used in the renovation, for example the paint was removed from all wooden windows, they were given new railings and double glazing to save energy and reduce noise. The use of PVC was avoided as much as possible. A bee-friendly pergola provides shade on the roof terrace.