New building for Swatch

The October 3^rd festivities took place in beautiful sunshine, in a fitting tribute to this truly monumental newly inaugurated Swatch “temple”. Whether in terms of its concept, its extravagant dimensions, its transparency, or the nobility of the materials used, everything about it seems to recall the brand DNA, as embodied in its iconic Jelly Fish watch. Nonetheless not designed to overawe or intimidate visitors, the site is instead intended to be welcoming for anyone interested. A true emotional embassy, it presents itself as an authentic sanctuary where creativity and technology meet and mingle.

After the traditional ribbon-cutting, the President of the watch Giant, Nick Hayek, together with Nayla Hayek (Chair of the Board of Directors) and the architect Shigeru Ban, officially opened the doors of this building, while expressing particular pride in the work of the artisans as well as in the fact that the project was completed on time and within budget (CHF 220 million in total, including CHF 125 million for the Swatch headquarters).

Some call it a “snake”, others a “dragon”. The silhouette of this building, designed by the world-renowned architect, seems to have sprung from the ground in order to connect with the new Cité du Temps (previously located in Geneva). Its organic shape fits seamlessly into the grounds surrounding it, which naturally inspired the Japanese architect. Above and beyond its role as a purely functional building, this reptilian creation is a real visiting card for the watchmaking company. A few metres further on, the extension of the Omega Manufacture, inaugurated in 2017, harmoniously completes the architectural trio.

Inside, light floods every part of the some 25,000sqm spread over five floors. Giving pride of place to transparency, this refined atmosphere is enriched by subtle touches of vivid colours and five black Mexican olive trees dotted around the building. The space is optimised to promote discussions, group work, creativity and inspiration. The open space concept is omnipresent, while paper is scarce on desks or even deliberately absent for ecological reasons.

The building
The shimmering, curved silhouette of the new Swatch building extends over a total length of 240 meters and a width of 35 meters. At its highest point, the facade measures 27 meters. The unusual design breaks with the conventions of classic office building architecture and blends harmoniously into the urban environment.

The vaulted facade with an area of over 11,000 m rises gently towards the entrance and transitions to the Cité du Temps. Both exterior and interior of the building are interspersed with a variety of leitmotifs, with curved shapes, colours and transparency, as well as with the unusual use of classic materials and building elements.

A timber grid shell construction forms the basic structure of the large-area facade. The traditional material was chosen for its ecological and sustainable properties. Wood can also be processed flexibly and cut to extremely precise sizes – important properties for a construction where every millimetre is important.

Using a sophisticated plug-in principle, the individual beams were fitted to each other perfectly. Since the timber grid shell of the Swatch building serves as a large office facade, it also had to meet various technical requirements. A complex network of cables is discreetly integrated into its structure.
While the wooden structure was still being erected, the installation of around 2,800 honey-comb timber grid shell elements, which make up most of the facade, began. Each element was meticulously tailored from up to 50 individual parts and adapted to its individual function and position.

A total of nine balconies ranging in size from 10 m² to 20 m² space provide views over several floors. Tiny white dots on the glass facades serve as sun protection. 124 wooden Swiss crosses on the ceiling improve the acoustics in the offices thanks to their fine perforations.

Inside the building
Inside the building, 25,000sqm of floor space is spread over five floors for all departments of Swatch International and Swatch Switzerland. The surface area of the four upper floors decreases successively from floor to floor, while galleries with glass balustrades provide a view of the lower floors. In addition to the regular workplaces, various common areas are distributed throughout the building: a cafeteria on the ground floor, which is open to all Swatch employees and their visitors; along with small rest areas at various locations in the building. For moments when privacy is necessary, separate “Alcove Cabins” accommodate up to six employees for telephone calls or work requiring particular concentration. An especially unusual installation is located at the very rear of the second floor: a staircase that leads to nowhere – the so-called “Reading Stairs” – whose steps and views encourage brainstorming among colleagues during creative breaks.

The basement extends under the entire length of the building. In addition to the technical rooms, ventilation center and archives, it also houses the underground car park, with 170 car parking spaces and 182 bicycle parking spaces.

The lobby
Looking out onto Nicolas G. Hayek Street, the entirely glazed entrance area features generous dimensions as well as a sense of transparency, openness and lightness. While its zigzag shape stems from the timber grid frame of the facade, it also plays a role in the building physics, for example in relation to wind loads. Two glass elevators take employees and visitors to the upper floors and to the glass pedestrian bridge on the third floor, which connects the Swatch building to the Cité du Temps. Galleries on three floors offer views of the entrance area.

Sustainability
A clever use of groundwater to heat and cool the building and solar power from the photovoltaic system make a significant contribution to an optimum CO2 balance. From Velospot bicycle sharing and charging stations to intelligent blackouts and glazing, from LED lighting and highly efficient ventilation systems to thermal component activation: thanks to state-of-the-art technology and know-how, the new Swatch building demonstrates that modern construction and modern ways of working can be in harmony with nature.

Only timber from Swiss forests – mainly spruce – was used in the construction. The energy concept allows building functions such as ventilation, cooling, heating and basic lighting to operate autonomously for both the Swatch Headquarters and the Cité du Temps. The groundwater utilisation concept ensures the heating and cooling of the new Swatch building. Swatch shares the resources with the neighbouring Cité du Temps and the new Omega Manufacture, which went into operation in 2017. Nine underground wells are distributed over the entire area, as well as two former oil tanks which have been converted into water reservoirs. 442 individually manufactured, curved solar elements were inserted into the honeycomb structure of the facade. With 1,770 m² of installed photovoltaics, around 212.3 MWh of electricity are generated per year, which corresponds to the average annual consumption of 61 Swiss households.

Cité du Temps
Also designed by Shigeru Ban, the Cité du Temps forms an independent architectural entity that perfectly complements the Swatch building. The first floor of this structure houses the Omega Museum, faithfully reflecting the brand in terms of precision, timing, spirit of excellence and expeditions. Through interactive experiences, visitors are invited to discover the world of the Olympic Games – including a real nine-metre track –, immerse themselves in lunar and underwater adventures or dive into the exciting world of James Bond.

On the second floor, Planet Swatch is an explosion of pop nuances, of wild or at times totally extravagant styles. It offers visitors various entertaining routes, each as colourful as the next, through the museum. While 6,234 watches are physically present, the “rest” of the 9,154 or so models that have been orbiting the world since 1983 is revealed through various digital media. Located on the fourth floor, the Nicolas G. Hayek Conference Hall, which is distinguished by its elliptical shape, is exclusively reserved for the Swatch Group and can accommodate up to 400 people.

October 24, 2019