Roche Tower (original) (raw)

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Skyscraper in Basel, Switzerland

Roche Tower
Roche-Turm
Roche Tower in September 2015
Map
Alternative names Building 1 (Bau 1)
Record height
Tallest in Switzerland since 18 September 2015[I]
Preceded by Prime Tower (Zürich)
General information
Status Open
Type Office
Architectural style Modernism
Location Basel, Switzerland
Address Grenzacherstrasse 124
Named for Hoffmann-La Roche
Groundbreaking 9 May 2012
Opened 18 September 2015
Cost CHF 550 million
Owner Hoffman-La Roche
Height 178 m (584 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 41
Floor area 74,200 m2 (799,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron

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]

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-metre (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]

  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.

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