BASALTE
Design-led architectural interfaces, made in Belgium.
Belgian architectural switches, keypads and in-wall audio supplied and installed by Leading IT in Dubai — across the UAE, and to projects in Pakistan.
Basalte makes the switches, panels and audio speakers that disappear into architecture — and the moments where the building meets the hand. Anodized aluminium, sculpted glass, and an obsession with finish. Its Miro switch holds both a Red Dot Award and an iF Design Award.
Tell us what the room has to do, and Leading IT will specify the Basalte hardware for it.
Or write to services@leadingit.me
Who supplies Basalte in Dubai and the UAE?
Leading IT supplies and installs Basalte architectural switches, keypads and in-wall audio in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for villas, apartments and hospitality projects across the Emirates.
Basalte is a Belgian manufacturer of design-led architectural interfaces. Leading IT carries eight Basalte lines: Sentido, Deseo, Eve, Basalte Miro, Auro, Fibonacci and the Aalto and Plano collections.
Most Basalte enquiries reaching Leading IT come from architects and interior designers rather than from homeowners. The questions below are written for the specifier's calendar, not for a product brochure.
What does Basalte make?
Basalte makes capacitive-touch wall switches, keypads with and without displays, and in-ceiling and wall-mounted loudspeakers — the interfaces where the building meets the hand.
Sentido is the capacitive-touch switch that usually takes the standard switch position through a whole villa. Deseo adds a display and thermostat function, which suits bedrooms and corridors where climate and scenes share one plate. Eve is the compact keypad for apartments and secondary rooms, and Basalte Miro suits rooms that need a minimal button set.
Auro is the in-ceiling loudspeaker, designed alongside the lighting layout rather than after it, and Fibonacci is the wall-mounted alternative where a ceiling speaker is not possible. Aalto and Plano are collections with their own pages.
How is Basalte specified in a Dubai project, and when?
Basalte is specified at the same point as ironmongery and sanitaryware — finish and engraving are decided with the other architectural finishes, not at commissioning.
Deciding late has a sequencing cost rather than a design cost. The plate finish and the engraved legend are made to the order, so a late change moves the delivery date. Leading IT confirms that date per order at quotation.
Back-box depth and wall build-up are the other early decision, and they belong to the electrician. A plate sits flush on a plastered wall at one depth and on a stone-clad wall at another, so the difference has to be set at first fix. Retrofitting a shallow box behind finished stone is the expensive version of this conversation.
On the bus, Basalte sits on KNX, with Crestron above it as the higher-level controller where the project has one. Leading IT commissions KNX and DALI as well as supplying the hardware, so the interface layer and the control layer are set up by the same team.
Finishes are anodised aluminium and glass. What Leading IT states about how they behave comes from what Basalte publishes about the materials and the finishing process. A terrace on the Palm and an interior corridor are different environments. That conversation is worth having before the plates are ordered.
Does Leading IT supply Basalte in Pakistan?
Yes — Leading IT supplies Basalte to projects in Pakistan on a distribution basis, handled from its Dubai base.
The whole range is available to Pakistan projects, and warranty routes through Leading IT rather than through the client. Leading IT engineers travel to commission where a project needs it.
This is a supply relationship, not a local presence: Leading IT has no premises in Pakistan, and delivery timing is confirmed per order at quotation.
View product range
Common questions
Does Basalte need KNX?
- The Basalte switches and keypads Leading IT supplies are KNX devices, so a project running them needs a KNX bus and a KNX programme behind it. Where the project also has a Crestron system, KNX sits underneath it as the interface layer. Leading IT commissions KNX and can confirm what a specific line supports before it is specified.
Can Basalte switches be engraved with custom text?
- Basalte publishes customisation options per line, including engraved legends, and Leading IT orders to those published options rather than to a bespoke request. The practical point is timing: engraving is decided before the order is placed, because it is made to the order.
What does a Basalte switch cost in Dubai?
- Leading IT quotes Basalte per project rather than publishing a price. What drives the figure is the number of plates, the finish, and how many functions each plate carries. A villa with a keypad at every door is a different quote from an apartment with six. Send a drawing or a plate schedule and Leading IT will price it.
Can Basalte replace the switches in a finished apartment?
- Sometimes, and the constraint is back-box depth rather than the wall finish. Where the existing boxes are deep enough and the bus can be run, a retrofit is straightforward. Where they are not, the honest answer is that the wall has to open. Leading IT checks the boxes before quoting a retrofit.
Does Leading IT supply Basalte in Pakistan?
- Yes, on a distribution basis, handled from Dubai. The whole range is available, warranty routes through Leading IT, and its engineers travel to commission where a project needs it. Leading IT has no premises in Pakistan.
Not sure which Basalte model belongs in the room? Ask, and the reply names one.
Or write to services@leadingit.me