Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron has completed One Roof, the new headquarters for private bank Lombard Odier in Geneva, featuring curved glass facades and slim columns designed to emphasize transparency. The office building, located north of Geneva's city center next to a train station, offers expansive views of Lake Geneva through its glazed exterior walls.
"We were triggered to say, how transparent can a bank be today?" explained Christine Binswanger, partner at Herzog & de Meuron. "Why should you enclose the people? You have to enclose and secure the gold, but not the people. As important as the transparency from inside out was, we also wanted to maximize the perception of the landscape."
The building's distinctive design features facades that sweep toward Lake Geneva, with curved concrete slabs protruding from the glazed envelope to provide shade for internal spaces and outdoor terraces. Slender white-steel columns support these slabs and are carefully integrated with other vertical elements including rainwater pipes and fabric blind guides to create a cohesive aesthetic.
Herzog & de Meuron deliberately designed One Roof without a distinct front or back, applying similar design principles to every facade and incorporating entrances on each side. "It's an effort to design a facade," Binswanger noted. "If you find one that works for all sides, it's a more relaxed building. Of course, we do buildings that have front and backs in a city context, but this has to do with it being a free-standing building – there's nothing it relates to."
The headquarters accommodates up to 2,600 workers, including Lombard Odier's 2,000 employees who were previously scattered across six different sites in Geneva. The interior spaces are specifically designed to foster collaboration among staff members. A central leaf-shaped atrium floods the building with natural light and illuminates surrounding meeting rooms.
Client-facing spaces are strategically positioned on the lake-facing side of the building, featuring interiors designed by French interior designer Rodolphe Parente. The ground floor houses a client entrance lobby, while upper levels contain double-height collaborative meeting rooms, a restaurant, and additional client meeting rooms, all offering views across Lake Geneva.
At the opposite end of the building, an auditorium on the ground floor provides space for presentations and casual meetings, opening directly onto an outdoor amphitheater. Additional amenities include an underground gymnasium and a cafe with an extended outdoor terrace, creating a comprehensive workplace environment.
The building incorporates sustainable design features, including solar panels installed on the rooftop and an innovative heating and cooling system that utilizes water pumped directly from Lake Geneva. This environmentally conscious approach aligns with modern architectural standards for large-scale commercial buildings.
This project represents the latest completion by Herzog & de Meuron, which has recently finished other notable projects including high-rise laboratories for the Pharma Research and Early Development Centre in Basel and a children's hospital in Zurich designed to function like a town. One Roof demonstrates the firm's continued commitment to creating buildings that balance functional requirements with architectural innovation and environmental responsibility.
