Roche has presented development plans for its Basel, Switzerland site. Over the next 10 years, Roche will invest $3.1 billion in the construction of a new R&D center for around 1,900 employees, a state-of-the-art office building for up to 1,700 employees.

"Roche is committed long-term to Switzerland and to Basel in its dual role as corporate headquarters and one of our most important sites worldwide," said Severin Schwan, Roche CEO.

Many of the office and laboratory buildings on the site no longer meet present-day requirements for modern, sustainable workplaces and need to be renewed. Furthermore, even after staff move into Building 1 toward the end of 2015, some 3,000 of the around 9,000 employees who work in Basel will still be in rented properties spread around the city. Under the site development plan, a large part of the Basel workforce will be brought together in modern laboratories and offices on the main site.

The new research center will comprise four integrated office/laboratory buildings. Each of the buildings will be designed in consultation with the R&D organization to ensure that scientists' needs are fully met. Timetabled to go into service between 2021 and 2022, the new buildings will contain 950 office and 950 laboratory workplaces that meet state-of-the-art requirements.