GRID Campus of Collaboration
SIP Main Campus
Allschwil, Switzerland
Project 2017-
Start of construction 2019
Planned completion 2022
GRID.
Overview
Client
Senn AG, St Gallen, Switzerland
Architecture
Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, Switzerland
Team ZPF
Konstantinos Adamakos, Taylan Beyaşahin, Heike Egli-Erhart, Ana Maria Eigenmann, Meran Hassan, Jonathan Mazzotta, Kata Aletta Orbán, Fabio Pesavento, Nico Ros, Dario Ruff, Sali Sadikaj, Robert Vögtlin, Christoph Wallhorn, Ann-Christin Westkamp
Webcam & download
GRID, the abbreviation for Grand Réseau d’Innovation et de Développement, is a showcase project for spectral planning, thus meaning thinking and planning a building as a whole, with the aesthetics and structure as one. This because a holistic approach improves efficiency and quality. With the façade as the starting point, the building was designed in close cooperation between architect and engineer, to bring together the building’s efficiencies, the costs, and the desired architectural expression. The task was to develop a façade that fulfils as many functions as possible, in keeping with the concept of spectral planning. This made it possible to reduce the amount of material used, which, together with the long service life and flexible usage options led to a sustainable solution.
Over the past 20 years, the commercial zone along the road Hegenheimermattweg in Allschwil on the western outskirts of Basel has developed from a allotment-garden area into a global hub for the life-science branch. From summer 2022 GRID offers around 50,000 m2 of usable space, arranged around a large inner courtyard, which is accessed via a pair of two-storey-high passages through the complex’s two long sides. In the corners of the courtyard, the building is entered via four identical stairwells, which allow each floor to accommodate up to eight main tenants. A basement for storage and technical facilities, a ground floor for small businesses, gastronomy, and public spaces, four upper floors for office and laboratory spaces as well as a greened top floor with technical facilities: that makes GRID, built in 2 stages as an enhanced building shell. The trapezoidal floor plan with dimensions of about 165.5 m (max.) by about 109 m follows a regular 7 x 7 m grid. The load-bearing structure is robust and designed to last for a lifetime of 75 years.
The façade was developed to fulfil as many functions as possible, in keeping with the concept of spectral planning: protection from the weather and sun, escape route as well as horizontal and vertical load transfer. This meant addressing the various framework conditions collectively. The intended use as an escape route defined the width of the balconies, and the dimensioning of the partitions was influenced by two opposing effects: For structural safety in the event of an earthquake, seismic forces had to be minimised, so the partitions had to be as pliant as possible. For the partitions to be fit for purpose though, their pliancy had to be within certain limits, so as not to exceed the maximum permissible deformation. And to achieve that the building with the spectrally planned façade structure was more cost-efficient than a conventional building, components and thus costs of a conventional structure such as cores and internal façade columns had to be dispensed with.
The façade meets all technical requirements and gives the building its architectural expression. The deep lattice-like structure made of in-situ concrete absorbs the vertical loads and braces the building horizontally, thus reducing the number of internal bearing elements and making the usable areas larger and more flexibly divisible. Balconies are formed by the projecting façade, providing escape routes, access, and sun protection. The floor plan, support grid and room heights are designed for office and laboratory use.
Beyond the façade GRID was further optimised, because for optimal use of the new structure as an office and laboratory building, it must be as flexible as possible. For the column grid, the cost optimum was found at 7 x 7 m by studying the relationship between costs, span width, slab thickness and number of columns; for the earthquake resistance, a comparison of the different earthquake-resistance concepts and mixed forms showed that the structural façade with additionally activated individual shear walls in the lift shafts was the most cost-efficient.
As the round stairwells in the corners of the inner courtyard are situated in the non-insulated cold area, they are thermally and structurally separated from the building. Originally planned as lightweight timber structures, the silo-like walls are made of concrete due to fire safety regulations and for cost reasons. They are separated from the building above ground, so that the structure retains its pliant behaviour. The four staircases – already an absolute eye-catcher in the shell – are now enhanced by the artwork NINA by Renée Levi.
The publication «Structural Concrete in Switzerland», which the fib-CH Swiss national group of the international federation for structural concrete will publish in late summer 2022, also highlights the GRID in detail, among other things.