lombard odier unveils its herzog & de meuron-designed global headquarters

private bank lombard odier has unveiled plans for its new global headquarters in switzerland. architecture firm herzog & de meuron was chosen to complete the project after an international contest, holding off competition from OMA, BIG, and dominique perrault, among others. the new office will be located on a 27,400-square-meter site in bellevue, readily accessible from geneva’s cornavin railway station.

‘by proposing a single building for lombard odier’s new head office, we are applying the title of the competition — one roof — literally. each façade is treated identically: there’s no front or back,’ said pierre de meuron. ‘a stone-clad bunker would no longer be in keeping with the image of a contemporary bank. we have designed a transparent, elegant and measured building; as such, its architecture reflects the vision and values of lombard odier. the form and appearance of our project are not due to aesthetic preference. our intention is to enable all occupants of the new head office to fully appreciate the surrounding natural environment.’

image © herzog & de meuron (also main image)

geneva-based firm favre & guth will work alongside herzog & de meuron in completing the project, which will be able to accommodate up to 2,600 workstations. ‘we were immediately struck by the project’s timelessness, personality and integration in its natural environment. the building will be airy and will look amazing from the ground, lake and sky,’ explains patrick odier, senior managing partner of lombard odier. ‘everything has been designed to inspire creativity and team work in a dynamic and motivating working environment. our clients will benefit from an exceptional venue which is easy to access and will provide all of our services and expertise under one roof.’

construction is expected to get underway in early 2019, and is slated to wrap up by the end of 2021. the winning design, as well as the other competition entries, will be on public view from december 8-23, 2017 at geneva’s galerie heritage.