Architects:Shigeru Ban Architects

Area :25000 m²

Year :2019

Photographs :Didier Boy de la Tour, Philippe Zinniker

Manufacturers :  Blumer Lehmann, Bruag, Fabromont AG, KieferBlumer Lehmann

Lead Architects :Shigeru Ban

Structural Engineering :LEICHT France SAS

City : Biel

Country : Switzerland

At 46,778 sq m (503,514 sq ft), the project is Shigeru Ban Architects’ largest and most exuberant hybrid mass timber project to date, and one of the largest hybrid mass timber projects in the world. Through his disaster relief work, Shigeru Ban has experienced firsthand the direct impact of climate change and natural disasters causing adverse effects on both people and the planet. Climate change is a reality that must be addressed both in how we live and how we build: our individual decisions to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions can change the world. However, building construction in its current state does not responsibly consider the future and well-being of our planet. To this end, Shigeru Ban Architects promotes building in wood as a model for environmental consciousness. Although timber is one of the oldest building materials, it is also one that holds much promise for the future.

The Swatch and Omega Campus is a monumental timber building project, comprised of three buildings: The Swatch Headquarters – Swatch’s multistory office space; The Omega Factory – the production center of Omega watches; and Cité du Temps – the Swatch and Omega museum and conference hall. The buildings share a design language, material palette, and environmental ethos, reflecting the unified brands of Swatch and Omega while expressing each building’s individuality through contrasting structural forms.