Novartis Campus in Basel Opens Its Art and Architecture to the Public

The Novartis Campus in Basel, once considered a forbidden city, is now open to the public from Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 7 PM. Visitors can freely enter the campus, green areas, internal supermarket, cafes, and the Italian restaurant in Rafael Moneo's building. The main axis, Fabrikstrasse, features buildings by star architects including Frank Gehry, Tadao Ando, SANAA, David Chipperfield, and Herzog & de Meuron. Artworks scattered throughout include Richard Serra's sculpture, Jenny Holzer's piece, Laurie Anderson's sound installation, and a 60-meter mural by Claudia Comte. Olafur Eliasson's Oscillation bench sits in the green area designed by Günther Vogt, facing the Novartis Pavillon by Michele De Lucchi and AMDL Circle. Inaugurated in April 2022, the Pavillon is a circular building for exchange and dialogue, hosting the exhibition "Wonders of Medicine" with scenography by Atelier Brückner. It features a multimedia facade powered by solar panels and 30,000 LEDs. The campus, active for 250 years, was transformed from an industrial site into an innovation hub following the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz. The master plan by Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani emphasized circularity of knowledge, with input from architects, designers, and landscape architects. Guided tours in English and German begin at the end of March.