Basel: Green light for Roche high-rise plans
The Roche site in Basel can be expanded into a high-rise industrial quarter. The Grand Council of the Canton of Basel-Stadt has approved the development plan for the spatial development of the pharmaceutical company.
The pharmaceutical company Roche is planning several buildings up to 132 meters high for a research center on its site along Grenzacherstrasse. In addition, a 205-metre-high office building is to be built, which will be another 27 meters higher than "Building 1", currently the tallest building in Switzerland at 178 meters.
Roche drew up the development plan with Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron, who also designed "Building 1". The Group plans to invest three billion CHF in the expansion.
This was widely welcomed in parliament as a commitment by the pharmaceutical company to the Basel site, but there were discussions about the massive change to the cityscape caused by the new high-rise buildings. However, the development plan for the new Roche high-rises was approved by a large majority with 84 votes to two and five abstentions. This also meant that all 89 objections were rejected. (ah)
