Roche Tower (German: Roche-Turm) is an office skyscraper in the Swiss city of Basel. At 178 metres (584 ft), it is the second tallest building in the country.[1]

Roche Tower
Roche-Turm
Map
Alternative namesBuilding 1 (Bau 1)
Record height
Tallest in Switzerland since 18 September 2015[I]
Preceded byPrime Tower (Zürich)
General information
StatusOpen
TypeOffice
Architectural styleModernism
LocationBasel, Switzerland
AddressGrenzacherstrasse 124
Named forHoffmann-La Roche
Groundbreaking9 May 2012
Opened18 September 2015
CostCHF 550 million
OwnerHoffman-La Roche
Height178 m (584 ft)
Technical details
Floor count41
Floor area74,200 m2 (799,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firmHerzog & de Meuron

The building, also known as "Building 1" (German: Bau 1), was financed by pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche and designed by Herzog & de Meuron. It cost 550 million Swiss francs to build. The entire construction ensemble, including the 205 m (673 ft) "Building 2" research facility completed in 2022, was expected to cost three billion francs in total.[1]

When finished on 18 September 2015, Roche Tower overtook Prime Tower in Zürich as Switzerland's tallest building, the latter having held the record for four years. Strict planning laws mean there are few skyscrapers in the country.[1] For the construction of the building, measures against earthquakes were envisioned and it stands on 143 pillars of reinforced concrete.[2] It is supposed to endure an earthquake of 6.9 on the Richter scale and therefore surpass the security regulations by the government.[2]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Switzerland's tallest building officially opened". Swiss Info. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Neuer Roche-Turm - So sicher ist das höchste Gebäude der Schweiz". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). 9 December 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
edit

47°33′30″N 7°36′27″E / 47.5583°N 7.6076°E / 47.5583; 7.6076