Inspiring Environment

 

The architecture of our new buildings is both functional and a symbol of the innovative spirit and culture of our company.

Actelion considers the investment in meaningful, functional buildings as an investment in the future of the company. We believe that an inspiring working place has the potential to attract talents that are key to our business success. The right working environment fosters creativity, team work and productivity all of which are valuable assets in the competitive landscape Actelion is working in.

 

Business Center

Communication as an underlying theme

The architectural concept is guided by the underlying theme of communication. The open, angular steel construction consists of supports stacked on top of each other. Every floor is laid out differently. This fundamental principle is based on a strict regularity: in the four corner points, where the “office beams” meet, are the core zones through which access is provided to the whole building. Here, elevators and stairs link the various floors with each other. This gives rise to natural communication zones where employees' paths cross. In these zones there are kitchens, meeting rooms and training rooms. Seating islands invite people to sit down and exchange ideas.

The glass facades allow communication through eye contact and underline the transparency, both inwards and outwards, as well as upwards and downwards. To ensure that this openness is consistent throughout, all installations were laid in the floors and ceilings, and it was decided to avoid any ducts and piping in walls.

Steel construction as an architectural

The load-bearing structure of the building consists of steel frames measuring a total of 3.8 kilometers in length. Altogether about 2’500 tons of steel were processed. The steel bars that make up the framework are straight, K-shaped or X-shaped, depending on the static requirements. For fire safety reasons, the steel construction is plastered and painted white. In this way, the characteristic steel elements underline the light visual identity of the building.

The art of botany

The greening concept of botanical artist Tita Giese takes up the transparency of the building. There is a mix of various kinds of ivy and horsetail in the shaded outdoor zones around the entrance area. Inside the building are three carpets of ferns, ivy, low-growing palms and Anthurias that spread outdoors, thus blurring the boundary between inside and outside.

In sunny areas the roofs are planted with prairie grass, which changes in the course of the seasons from light green to dark red, retaining this color in the winter. The other roof areas were provided with a plant substrate that grows independently according to climatic conditions. Depending on the sun and rainfall, a low-growing carpet of stonecrops alternate with unplanted gravel areas.

Energy concept

The energy concept of the building is based on the combined use of electricity, natural gas and renewable energy in the form of solar power. The aim is to meet the demand for heating and cooling in a way that conserves resources and is largely carbon neutral.

Facts 
Construction time:August 2007 – December 2010
Architects:Herzog & de Meuron
Workplaces:350
Number of floors:

2 basement floors

6 upper floors

Building footprint:3.190 m2
Gross floor area:27,470 m2

 

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