Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

The green facade of the new headquarters of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, home to around 900 employees, is visible from afar and immediately establishes a connection with the institution it houses. 14,000 cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of the new building with a usable area of 13,000 square metres. Formwork for the exposed concrete used narrow shutter boards, up to 4.5 metres long from floor to ceiling but only 10 centimetres wide. Battens measuring just 3 to 4 centimetres wide were used for the curves. The organic character of the building is further underlined by the rounded corners inside and the helical staircases cast in-situ. The new headquarters provide space for around 725 office and 150 laboratory workplaces, as well as seminar rooms, a library and a cafeteria.