The Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Over the next few years, a networked university campus will be created on Basel’s “Schällemätteli” site near to both the university hospital and the Rhine. The university’s new life sciences building, the first to be erected on the new campus, stands tall and can be seen from far and wide. The new research building houses research rooms, laboratories, lecture halls, seminar rooms, IT services and a public cafeteria.

Building of the Biozentrum of the University of Basel

With a height of 73 metres, the prismatic, rectangular 16-storey research tower has a distinctive presence in the urban landscape, reinforcing the city’s role as an exemplary educational location alongside its monuments to trade and industry.

The new Biozentrum forms the heart of the new campus. Surrounded by a publicly accessible courtyard with seating and water features, it will serve as a meeting place for the Life Sciences Campus as a whole.

Cafeteria of the Biozentrum of the University of Basel

A wide variety of Akio solid wood tables was chosen for the cafeteria, which is located at the centre of the ground floor and is directly accessible via the entrance hall. The use of oak as a natural material and the round forms of the tables contrasts with the all-white rooms and creates a highly appealing impression.

Markus Huber Recabarren from Ilg Santer Architekten: “When choosing furniture for the Biozentrum, it was important for us to be able to create lots of different areas and possibilities for spending time and working. We were looking for a family of furniture with various heights, forms and sizes that would complement the oak furniture we had already defined. And we found the ideal solution with the Akio solid wood tables from Girsberger.”