Basel: High-rise building worthy of protection may make way for Roche plans

After a long struggle, an important decision has been made in Basel regarding the development of Roche's southern site. A few days ago, the Grand Council of the city canton approved the development plan for the pharmaceutical company's site without any additional conditions. This means that Roche can now demolish the existing high-rise office building «Bau 52» and does not have to open the park to the public. Roche can now demolish several research and office buildings between Grenzacherstrasse and Solitude-Promenade and has the option of erecting a third, 221 m high tower. However, its realization is currently not an issue. Not only Building 52, but the entire southern site is listed with conservation objective A in the Iso national inventory of sites worthy of protection.

Prior to the vote in the Grand Council, a narrow majority of the parliament's Building and Spatial Planning Commission (BRK) had spoken out in favor of adapting the development plan. According to the plan, the existing high-rise building «Bau 52» should be retained. It was planned in the early 1960s by Zurich architect Roland Rohn, who also designed the UBS building on Paradeplatz. In addition to public access and the widening of a path, the recommended specifications for the development plan for the Roche site also included standards to minimize greenhouse gas emissions during the construction and operation of new buildings on the southern site. The «Bau 52» case in particular had caused a public stir. Prominent architects, among others, had campaigned for its preservation. (aw)