Research building Square 3
Novartis Campus Basel, Switzerland
2006-2009
Square 3.
Overview
Client
Novartis AG, Basel, Switzerland
Architecture
Fumihiko Maki, Tokyo, Japan
General planning
ffbk Architekten, Münchenstein / Basel, Switzerland
Square 3 is situated in a somewhat concealed corner of the Novartis Campus near the Rhine. This white cube is purely an office building and on every floor it has an outdoor area that is planted with vegetation. A progression from transparent surfaces to opaque surfaces in a number of increments defines the transition between the indoor and outdoor space.
The layers lying on top of each other are designed as a continuum, joined via spiral staircases at the narrow ends of the building in areas that are twice as high as the rooms, providing meandering access to the floors by means of three large indoor flights of steel steps. The lower ceilings in the middle of each floor and the rising ceilings towards the facades emphasise the vision of flowing space with flexible work areas.
The box facade was specially developed for this building and rests on brackets on each of the slabs. The flexible, column-free spaces were realised by using void slabs (the Cobiax system). These decrease the weight and also make it possible to reduce the reinforcing elements.