Merck Serono, Geneva

In the year 2002 the planning team Murphy/Jahn Architects (Chicago), Werner Sobek Ingenieure (Stuttgart) and Transsolar (Stuttgart) won an international competition announced by the Pharmaceutical Concern Merck Serono for the new development of a research and administration centre in Geneva. The brief included a communicative atmosphere, architectonic-constructive elegance and innovative solutions in facade and climate technology. In addition, several buildings of historical value were to be integrated into the design. A spectacular feature is the large curved atrium glass roof which opens up by almost 5 meters in good weather. The book offers a description of the project and its development both from a corporate culture aspect and from the perspective of the architect Helmut Jahn, the civil engineer Prof. Dr. Werner Sobek, the climate expert Prof. Matthias Schuler and the critic Christian Marquart.