Shigeru Ban builds for Swatch

All images: Swatch The design of the new headquarters of the Swatch Group in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland calls to mind a very decorative piece of skin shed by a gigantic snake. The Japanese architect Shigeru Ban won the competition held to find a new design concept for the corporate grounds. The project includes a head office for Swatch, a new production building for Omega, as well as integration of Omega's listed buildings from the early days of industrialization. Shigeru Ban already designed the Nicolas G. Hayek Center in Tokyo for the Swatch Group in 2007. A new central building will combine functional areas for the two brands Swatch and Omega under one roof. This building, slightly elevated on pillars, will also serve as a meeting area for visitors and pedestrians. The elongated building, with its modern, semi-circular timber frame structure, will be the new headquarters of the brand. Completion of the building complex is scheduled for summer 2015.