Basel Parliament Approves Demolition of Iconic Roche Headquarters
The Basel Parliament has approved the demolition of a 62-meter-high building on Grenzacherstrasse, the headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Roche since 1960. Despite its cultural-historical value and pleas from architectural historians, the Grand Council decided to allow its destruction.
Designed by architect Roland Rohn, the building was hailed as a landmark of Roche's urban development and often compared to the UN headquarters in New York. However, Roche argued that the building was one of the largest CO2 emitters on the site and hindered its climate goals. The debate in the parliament was intense, with lobbying from both Roche and the architectural scene.
An expert report found the building to be in good condition and suggested it could be energetically renovated and made earthquake-resistant. Numerous architects from Switzerland and abroad launched a petition for its preservation, stating that demolition would be a loss of a significant witness to Swiss architectural history.
The Grand Council decided to follow the line of the government and the bourgeois minority in the commission, arguing that renovation would not be economically feasible and would destroy the monument's value through necessary interventions. The demolition of the building, once a symbol of Roche's urban development, is now set to proceed.
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