A new building for the wonders of medicine

The opening of the Novartis Pavilion on April 30 marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of our Novartis Campus in Basel. Dedicated to shared learning and dialogue about science and the future of healthcare, the new building marks an important addition to the company premises and its further development. As a publicly accessible meeting place, the new exhibition, meeting and event center represents our relationship with society in Switzerland, the people of Basel and our immediate neighbors.

Location and architecture

The Novartis Pavilion is located in the South Park of the Novartis Campus in Basel and will be directly accessible to the public via St. Johanns-Hafen-Weg from April 30th.

The building was designed by AMDL CIRCLE and the Milan architect and designer Michele De Lucchi. It was implemented in collaboration with the Basel-based architectural firm Blaser.

Michele De Lucchi sees the combination of natural materials and technology as an opportunity to create a perfect environment for encounters. Sustainability plays a central role in his design and also for Novartis.

When building the Novartis Pavilion, great importance was attached to using the most sustainable systems and products possible, both in terms of methodology and materials. For example, the entire supporting structure of the Novartis Pavilion was made of wood.

The building is divided into two floors: The ground floor, with its spacious foyer, offers space for meetings and dialogue on socially relevant issues. In the near future, public events on scientific topics will be offered there. Collaborations with institutes and universities are also planned. Events enable the open exchange of knowledge and ideas for the widest possible audience. Information about the events will be available on the Novartis Pavilion website in the future.

The exhibition on the ground floor is complemented by a café, an event room and the SchoolHub, an interactive offering for school classes. As a complement to the existing SchoolLab, pupils can gain their first insights into medicine, natural sciences and the associated careers in a playful way. Here, too, we want to promote and enable collaborative learning and exchange.

The multimedia exhibition “Wonders of Medicine” is the heart of the building and is located on the upper floor of the Novartis Pavilion. A small film room on the mezzanine serves as the prelude to the exhibition tour.

The building signals openness through its transparency on the ground floor and invites you to explore with its understated yet impressively illuminated zero-energy media façade.

Zero-energy media façade

The luminous zero-energy media façade is made up of photovoltaic cells and LED lights that are sustainably powered by solar power. 10,000 organic solar cells – so-called organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells – are mounted on this façade, which are equipped with more than 30,000 LEDs and can display text and images using solar energy.

The lighting effect of the facade is created by a minimal lighting contrast with the surroundings. The ambient light is constantly measured and the building lighting, which is slightly more intense, is constantly adjusted. In this way, energy consumption can be reduced.

In addition, the roof of the Novartis Pavilion can also be used as a communication channel and used in an artistic way. Three different lighting modes provide information about the operation. These are based on scientific content and are based on the opening times of the exhibition or an event taking place in the Novartis Pavilion. Just in time for sunset, the media façade is also illuminated for 30 minutes at the end of the day with works of art that video installation artists have designed specifically for the Novartis Pavilion. Here, too, the scientific background is the focus of the works.

From April 30, the works of the Spanish artist Daniel Canogar, the Basel artist Esther Hunziker and the British artist duo Semiconductor will be on display on the skin of the Novartis Pavilion.

The exhibition: “Wonders of Medicine”

The multimedia exhibition “Wonders of Medicine” is the heart of the Novartis Pavilion.

It consists of four content areas:

• «Vulnerability of life»: Vital body functions and development of diseases
• «From the laboratory to the patient»: The journey of a drug
• «Steps through time»: History of medicine and the emergence of the pharmaceutical industry in Basel
• «Future of healthcare»: Outlook on the future of healthcare

These four exhibition areas stimulate thought on topics such as the human body, health, opportunities and challenges in healthcare, and the role of pharmaceutical companies in the development of innovative medicines and therapies.

All thematic content has been prepared in multimedia format and invites visitors to explore and engage in dialogue. An intelligent audio guide leads through the exhibition and is available in German, French and English.

The vision and content for the “Wonders of Medicine” were developed in close cooperation with our scientists and were conceptually supported by the scenography experts from Atelier Brückner in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Basel studio for media architectures iArt.

Your visit to the Novartis Pavilion

The Novartis Pavilion is a meeting place for the public and our employees and can be visited during the following opening hours.

Admission to the “Wonders of Medicine” exhibition is CHF 10 for all visitors aged twelve and over. The proceeds will be donated to charitable institutions. Registered school classes can visit the exhibition free of charge.

The Novartis Pavilion also regularly hosts events on scientific topics. These are open to the public and can also take place outside of the opening hours mentioned above.