Indian architect Professor Rahul Mehrotra, RMA Architects Mumbai and Boston, designed the new Virchow 16 lab building on the Novartis campus in Basel with a green façade and a greenery-infused atrium, intertwining the architecture and the plant world in striking fashion.
An inner courtyard extends from the fourth floor to the roof interspersed with paths and little nooks in which to linger and chat. A concentration of tropical plants – a hanging garden within the building.
The topographic landscape spans three basins at different heights in a two-level system. The entire system of the indoor greening solution is structured so that the planted areas are connected via a pipe, thus allowing drainage of excess water. The fully automated watering of the individual planted areas uses water-retention irrigation and drip hoses to ensure uniform watering.
The west-facing green main façade also features dense growth of climbing and hanging plants. The façade continuously changes its character with the changing seasons, filters the sunlight, offers natural separation of spaces and actively contributes to climate control in the building.
Martina Hildén is all ears.