Planning application submitted for new biomedicine building

In the Department of Biomedicine, academics and scientists from the field of basic medical research and the university hospitals work side by side to understand the causes of diseases, improve diagnoses and develop new treatment methods.

By 2028, this close collaboration will be reflected in architectural terms, with the construction of a cutting-edge new research building, directly adjacent to the university hospitals and other life sciences facilities on the Schällemätteli campus. The department currently has about 70 research groups, spread across five sites. The new building will bring them together under one roof, creating the ideal conditions for the interdisciplinary exchange of scientific knowledge and strengthening the competitiveness of the University of Basel.

Construction project

The building will be part of the Schällemätteli Life Sciences Campus, which offers the most modern infrastructure and best framework conditions for high-performance research. The new laboratory building will have two sub-levels and nine upper levels, and will be approximately the same height as the old Biozentrum.

The University of Basel is overseeing the project and has invited general contractors to tender for construction of the new building. The building, which will directly adjoin the Center for Pharmaceutical Sciences, will provide space for about 700 staff and 200 students, and offer more than 35,000 m² of floor area.

Costs and financing

The University of Basel will procure the investment costs on the financial market. Collateral security from the two supporting cantons Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft will enable the university to obtain the credit it needs on favorable terms. The investment required for the new building and whether this is covered by the guarantees provided in 2014 will become clear when the bids are evaluated. The University Council will select the general contractor in mid-2022.

Construction phases

Submission of the planning application to the Canton of Basel-Stadt’s construction and traffic department marks the start of the planning permission process. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023.

The first phase will see the old Biozentrum building dismantled floor by floor. This and the subsequent excavation work will take approximately 18 months. It is anticipated that the new building will take about five years to construct, meaning that it should be completed by 2028 and ready to hand over to the researchers in 2029.

Cornerstone of the Life Sciences Campus

Alongside the new buildings for the University of Basel’s Biozentrum and the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich, the new biomedicine building will form a further cornerstone of the Schällemätteli Life Sciences Campus. The proximity of the research institutions and university hospitals will allow shared use of complex and expensive key technologies.

At the same time, the campus will encourage scientific exchange between academics and clinicians with different thematic, methodological and technological focal areas. The individual research buildings will be linked by a readily accessible space, which is intended to become a campus meeting place.

Further information

Reto Caluori, University of Basel, Communications, tel. +41 61 207 24 95, email: reto.caluori@unibas.ch

Illustration

A high-resolution image for this press release is available in the media database.