On 28 September 2020, the Roche Innovation Center Shanghai RICS was officially opened, and we were present via livestream. Our contribution to the digital opening is a video clip, in which Markus Hammes explains the design concept for the RICS. Two of our colleagues were on site in Shanghai for one and a half years to accompany and monitor the exact implementation of our design.
In the new RICS research building, short distances, spatial density and a mix of functions contribute to a working atmosphere that promotes innovation. The space is structured like a landscape. There are wide paths and narrow shortcuts, dense room sequences and wide clearings, unrestricted views in a vertical direction, diverse perspectives into and out of the building. In the centre of the building is the market place. This is where all employees come together — this is where all routes intersect, horizontally and vertically. Daylight enters the market place through skylights and creates a pleasant atmosphere at this special place inside the RICS. Despite all the spaciousness of the interiors, the human scale is the guideline for an appropriate design
