Swiss international company and pharmaceutical giant Roche inaugurated its new Building 2 on September 2, officially opening Switzerland’s tallest building. The structure is 205 metres tall and will house 3.500 workers.

Switzerland’s tallest building cost 550 million Swiss francs

The new building cost 550 million Swiss francs to build and was constructed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron. Building 2 is the sister project to Roche’s Building 1, with the latter being a considerably smaller structure at 178 metres, only providing office space for 2.000 employees. 

“Building 2 is another highly visible sign of Roche's commitment to Basel - the city where Roche was founded over 125 years ago,” Roche’s CEO Severin Schwan said in a statement last Friday. Thanks to the creation of Building 2, workers that were previously stationed in different parts of the city are now able to work at the same location. Both of the firm’s towers are now strikingly visible across the city of Basel.

Tall buildings are rare in Switzerland due to strict regulations

Tall buildings are few and far between in Switzerland, in large part due to strict regulations created by the Swiss government. In many cases, high-rise projects have to be approved by referendum in order to be built, as was the case when approving the Hardturm stadium and business development in Zurich.

Roche has invested heavily in the new building and said that it will continue its expansion across Basel. Roche’s further plans in Basel include investing in a 1,2 billion-Swiss franc Research and Development centre, set to open in the autumn of 2024, providing more job opportunities for those based in the area. The firm employs more than 100.000 people worldwide.