Roche presents plans for the modernisation of the southern section of its Basel site

Basel, 22. November 2019

• Redesign of the southern part of the site (‘Südareal’) can create modern workspaces and additional green space
• Situation on the Solitude promenade will be improved
• Demolition can begin after 2023

             
Today, Roche is presenting plans for the redesign of the Rhine-facing side of its site in Basel. Once the new Research and Development Center has been occupied in 2023, the old laboratory buildings along the Solitude promenade will become vacant. Roche plans to replace them with spaced-out buildings interspersed with green spaces, which will visually open up and significantly upgrade the southern part of the site. Once the work has been completed, there will be more space along the Solitude promenade for both pedestrians and cyclists.

“The investments in our new Research and Development Centre and in the high rise office Building 2 are now having a positive impact on our site development and the space situation along the Rhine,” says Jürg Erismann, Head of the Basel/Kaiseraugst site. “Demolishing the buildings on the densely built-up Südareal will open up an inner-city land reserve that gives us a large amount of flexibility for future developments.”

The current site, with its dense mix of office and laboratory buildings, no longer meets contemporary requirements in terms of sustainable and modern workspaces. For this reason, all the buildings in the Südareal – with the exception of the modern high-rise office Building 1 and the historic administration Building 21 – are to be demolished after 2023.

The presentation of the plans marks the start of a development planning process aimed at the sustainable development of this site. The presented plans provide for the construction of up to four well spaced-out buildings, including three high-rises, in a park-like setting, thus opening up the Rhine-facing part of the site. Drawn up by Roche in collaboration with Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron, these plans serve as a basis and visualisation for the planning process. The Südareal development plans are further testimony to Roche's commitment to its Basel site and to Switzerland.

About Roche
Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the eleventh consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2018 employed about 94,000 people worldwide. In 2018, Roche invested CHF 11 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 56.8 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com.

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Download images and a presentation here:
https://www.roche.ch/en/media-switzerland/informationen/med-ch-2019-11-22.htm


Roche Group Media Relations
Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com
- Nicolas Dunant (Head)
- Patrick Barth
- Daniel Grotzky
- Karsten Kleine
- Nathalie Meetz

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