SIP Main Campus, a new building that forms part of a growing district focusing on pharmaceuticals, medicine, and research in Switzerland, has just been completed by Herzog & de Meuron. The office scheme, which is located in Allschwil, a stone’s throw from the French border, offers modern workspace adjacent to the developing area's numerous facilities – including sports courts and a recreational area – alongside lots green space for its users.
SIP Main Campus: contemporary Swiss workspace by Herzog and de Meuron
SIP Main Campus is ‘based on the concept of a “courtyard house”,’ write the architects. And while, at 50,000 sq m of usable floor area and some 2500-3000 employees strong, this headquarters is far from domestic in scale – it's actually the largest structure in its wider area – the architectural approach sought to mimic the warmth and wellbeing offered in residential settings.
To this end, greenery was placed at the heart of the scheme, with a richly planted courtyard at its core, defining the design. It connects to the overall district by being one of a series of green spaces ‘contributing to a good microclimate and allowing connections from one property to the next.’
Meanwhile, a grid-based facade made of poured-in situ concrete creates a juxtaposition between natural and manmade context. The material was selected to absorb ‘vertical loads and serve as bracing for wind and potential earthquakes.’ Within the grid, loggias offer space for encounters, contemplation and connection with the outside. The structure’s slightly slanted vertical elements help add a softness, as well as creating thicker shading for the businesses and restaurants occupying the ground floor.
Inside, four feature staircases in organic shapes carve dramatic circulation space, and connect the workspaces with communal areas and the building's main auditorium – which is also available for external events, reaching out to the local, wider community in the area.
These circulation hubs also feature site specific artwork by Basel-based artist Renée Levi. They include a custom-made wool tapestry, Nina, which hangs in one of the auditorium walls.
-
The bespoke Jaguar E-Type GTO melds elements from every era of the classic sports carECD Automotive Design’s one-off commission caters to a client who wanted to combine the greatest hits of Jaguar’s E-Type along with modern conveniences and more power
-
Casa Sanlorenzo debuts in Venice as a new hub for contemporary artThe luxury yachting leader unveils a stunning new space in a palazzo restored by Piero Lissoni – where art, innovation, and sustainability come together
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being rebonr as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Herzog & de Meuron are renovating New York's iconic Breuer Building. Here's a first look at the renderingsThis fall, the brutalist icon will be re-opening as the New York headquarters for Sotheby's.
-
Audrey Hepburn’s stunning Swiss country home could be yoursAudrey Hepburn’s La Paisable house in the tranquil village of Tolochenaz is for sale
-
Meet Lisbeth Sachs, the lesser known Swiss modernist architectPioneering Lisbeth Sachs is the Swiss architect behind the inspiration for creative collective Annexe’s reimagining of the Swiss pavilion for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
-
A contemporary Swiss chalet combines tradition and modernity, all with a breathtaking viewA modern take on the classic chalet in Switzerland, designed by Montalba Architects, mixes local craft with classic midcentury pieces in a refined design inside and out
-
Bold, geometric minimalism rules at Toteme’s new store by Herzog & de Meuron in ChinaToteme launches a bold, monochromatic new store in Beijing – the brand’s first in China – created by Swiss architecture masters Herzog & de Meuron
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich is a ‘miniature city’Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich aims to offer a case study in forward-thinking, contemporary architecture for healthcare
-
Step inside La Tulipe, a flower-shaped brutalist beauty by Jack Vicajee Bertoli in GenevaSprouting from the ground, nicknamed La Tulipe, the Fondation Pour Recherches Médicales building by Jack Vicajee Bertoli is undergoing a two-phase renovation, under the guidance of Geneva architects Meier + Associé
-
Christian de Portzamparc’s Dior Geneva flagship store dazzles and flowsDior’s Geneva flagship by French architect Christian de Portzamparc has a brand new, wavy façade that references the fashion designer's original processes using curves, cuts and light
