Life Sciences Campus Allschwil continues to grow
Eine Zeitkapsel mit aktuellen Zeitdokumenten und Kinderwünschen wird in das Fundament des Gebäudes ALL einbetoniert.
With the laying of the foundation stone for the ALL laboratory building, the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil is sending a strong signal for the future of life sciences. The new building, developed by Senn and Herzog & de Meuron, will house the Botnar Institute for Immune Engineering (BIIE) - a research institute that is committed to the health of children and adolescents with cutting-edge international research.
With the official laying of the foundation stone for the ALL laboratory building in Allschwil, the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area marks a new stage in the development of a world-leading life sciences location. Domenico Scala, President of the Innovation Park, Stephen Wilson, CEO of BIIE, and Johannes Eisenhut, Managing Director of Senn Development AG, celebrated the start of construction with a time capsule in which representatives of the regional economy, politics and schoolchildren from the Swiss International School recorded their wishes for the future.
Research building with a focus on sustainability
The new ALL building is scheduled for completion in 2027 and will offer around 21,500 square metres of state-of-the-art laboratory and office space in accordance with the SNBS Platinum sustainability standard. This third collaboration between Senn and the architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron on the Innovation Park’s Main Campus strengthens the long-term orientation of the site. The investor Senn is aiming to intensively promote collaboration across the entire campus in order to maximise the innovative strength of researchers and companies.
Research for tomorrow’s health
With the BIIE, the ALL building will be home to one of the most significant investments in the life sciences sector. The BIIE, supported by 15 years of funding totalling USD 1 billion from the Basel Botnar Foundation, is dedicated to researching the immune system in order to develop new solutions for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases in children and adolescents worldwide. “The choice of location was crucial for our institute. The Main Campus offers exactly the right environment to meet our high standards,” explains Stephen Wilson.
A strong life sciences cluster in Europe
As part of the national innovation park Switzerland Innovation, the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area is an important hub for research and development in Switzerland. With sites in Allschwil, Jura and the Novartis Campus in Basel, the park focuses on the key areas of biotechnology, medical technology, digital health and industrial transformation. Around 1,200 specialists from 92 companies and 12 research groups work at the Basel site, making it the largest area for life sciences in a Swiss innovation park.
Future prospects for Allschwil and Switzerland
The construction of the laboratory building symbolises the sustainable development of Basel as a life sciences location and the innovative strength of the region. “We are using the knowledge gained from previous projects such as the HQ main building and HORTUS and are continuing to focus on sustainable infrastructure and the promotion of synergies,” emphasises Johannes Eisenhut. The development of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area shows how Basel is becoming an international centre for life science research and technology – a win-win situation for science, business and society.