• Roche Headquarters - David Barbour /BDP

Roche Headquarters

Cutting costs and emissions and unifying a workforce under one roof.

We worked outwards from a central covered street that gives a focal point to the building.

The street connects the open-plan workspaces and includes a restaurant, health and fitness centre and library.

The resulting three-storey building uses timber-framed curtain walling, ground-water cooling from boreholes and an ammonia refrigeration plant that is both carbon-neutral and ozone-free.

Brief

  • bring together 1100 employees from separate sites under one roof
  • provide an attractive work environment with a range of facilities
  • achieve high environmental performance ratings

Results

  • new working environment has boosted productivity
  • BREEAM Environmental Performance Index of ten: rated ‘Excellent’
  • saved the client enough time and money to build a previously deferred pharmacology block with the same supplier team
  • awards include the British Council of Offices Award (Best of Best) 2006 and the Wood Award (Offsite Awards & Innovation Award) 2006

Facts

Location: Welwyn Garden City, UK
Client: Roche Products Ltd
Construction cost: £50m
Completed: 2005
Awards: 4

Integrated services

architecture, environmental engineering, structural engineering, landscape architecture, interior design, acoustics, lighting

Links to images