A study in urban planning, the Novartis campus manifests a logic and order that facilitates its day-to-day operations. Yet the grounds are neither sterile nor overtly homogeneous. Entering onto Fabrikstrasse, the main boulevard, one is immediately struck by the numerous environments for employees — landscaped piazzette, informal indoor and outdoor seating and dining areas, day care centers, even a supermarket, pharmacy, and health club — all integrated in and around the new and renovated buildings. Art is everywhere. Moreover, while the various architects are given similar briefs and physical parameters, their solutions are, of course, unique.
Two blocks east of Fabrikstrasse, towards the Rhine — where Novartis is building a new public promenade — Fumihiko Maki's pristine Square 3 office building meets the master plan's standard dimensions for its type: approximately 59 feet wide, 169 feet long, and 72 feet high. This configuration allows abundant sunlight to penetrate its five stories — a feature the architect manipulates with a deft sleight of hand.
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