Novartis Office | Mach Architektur

Novartis isn’t simply a pioneer when it comes to pharmaceuticals. The Swiss giant is also an innovative employee on a mission to improve the well-being of all its staff. Proof of this is the brand’s Basel campus. With buildings created by legendary architects such as Diener & Diener and Herzog & de Meuron and a priceless collection of art exhibited in public areas, the Novartis HQ is an inspiring place to visit.  So when we were asked to create a concept for a new office space that would make working a pleasure not chore, our own team was all smiles.

Office Refurbishment

Before Novartis launches a new product, the pharmaceutical pioneer embarks on up to ten years of research, development and constant team work. Our challenge was to create a work space at the company’s HQ that would energise and inspire its world class talent during this painstaking process.

Taking inspiration from our favourite city districts around the world, we transformed an existing 1,300 sqm open plan area into seven ‘neighbourhoods’. Spread across two wings, each neighbourhood looks similar but is also unique thanks to its relative position to two distinct ‘landmarks’: an upbeat coffee bar in one wing and a more relaxed tea bar in the other. To promote the dynamic entrepreneurial spirit Novartis encourages in its staff, we made the space feel more like an energetic start-up than a global giant. For example, we installed special ‘writing walls’ so teams can write down rough ideas then ponder, refine and erase them over many months. For brainstorms and private moments, we also created little ‘bubbles’ where people can go to think and escape.

When everyone’s had a chance to enjoy their new home, we look forward to putting more ‘Novartis Neighbourhoods’ on the map.