Herzog & de Meuron completes Basel headquarters as "repository of materials"

Herzog & de Meuron has completed Mailand-Strasse, a 7,259-square-metre headquarters for its own teams in Basel's Dreispitz quarter. The low-carbon "vertical campus" houses over 300 staff across seven levels, featuring exposed timber, concrete, and metal informed by the area's industrial character. The triangular site yields angular balconies and a prow-like northern point. A central staircase connects double-height atria, open staircases, terraces, a cafeteria, and a materials library, culminating in a boardroom with a rooftop terrace. Partner Santiago Espitia Berndt described the design as fostering movement and interaction across departments, with a "direct and pragmatic approach" leaving structure and services exposed. The building fills its entire footprint, with corrugated metal cladding separating large windows and shaded balconies. Berndt noted that architectural moments emerged from functional requirements rather than formal gestures, creating a "repository of materials" that can evolve or be disassembled. The project is part of the studio's Vision Dreispitz masterplan for the formerly industrial area. Herzog & de Meuron's Rheinschanze Campus continues to operate. The studio recently completed Roche laboratories and a mountain antenna tower conversion.