Roche Tower

Roche Tower (German: Roche-Turm) is a skyscraper in the Swiss city of Basel. At 178 metres, it is the tallest building in the country.[1]

Roche Tower
Roche-Turm
Alternative names	Building 1 (Bau 1)
Record height
Tallest in Switzerland since 18 September 2015[I]
Preceded by	Prime Tower (Zürich)
General information
Status	Open
Type	Office building
Architectural style	Modernism
Location	Basel, Switzerland
Address	Grenzacherstrasse 124
Named for	Hoffmann-La Roche
Groundbreaking	9 May 2012
Opened	18 September 2015
Cost	CHF 550 million
Owner	Hoffman-La Roche
Height	178 m
Technical details
Floor count	41
Floor area	74,200 m²
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Herzog & de Meuron

The building, also known as "Building 1" (German: Bau 1), was financed by pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche and designed by Herzog & de Meuron. It cost 550 million Swiss francs to build. The entire construction ensemble, including a planned 205-metre "Building 2" research facility, is expected to cost three billion francs in total.[1]

When finished on 18 September 2015, Roche Tower overtook Prime Tower in Zürich as Switzerland's tallest building, the latter having held the record for four years. Strict planning laws mean there are few skyscrapers in the country.[1]