Roche Tower

Skyscraper in Basel, Switzerland

^[I]Preceded byPrime Tower (Zürich)General informationStatusOpenTypeOffice buildingArchitectural styleModernismLocationBasel, SwitzerlandAddressGrenzacherstrasse 124Named forHoffmann-La RocheGroundbreaking9 May 2012Opened18 September 2015CostCHF 550 millionOwnerHoffman-La RocheHeight178 m (584 ft)Technical detailsFloor count41Floor area74,200 m² (799,000 sq ft)Design and constructionArchitecture firmHerzog & de Meuron

Roche Tower (German: Roche-Turm) is a 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 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

^ ^a ^b ^c "Switzerland's tallest building officially opened". Swiss Info. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
^ ^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.