Philip Morris International Headquarters

The headquarter of the activities of “Phillip Morris International” at Lausanne extends over a large sloping site between the Avenue de Cour and the Avenue de Rhodanie. Towards the south, it embraces the landscape of the lake Geneva and the Savoy Alps. The concept of the project is generated by the characteristics of the site. The new building takes possession of the slope along which different sized volumes are stacked in a parallel manner. One big linear and perpendicular volume connects the office spaces and the entrances in the north and south over a height difference of 20 meters. A sequence of open court yards punctuate the building and allow for more natural light on the slope.
A grid of 411 cm intervals structures the facades and allows for a new type of office space of 20 sqm. The facades are based on a sequence of post and beams construction made up of prefabricated and self-supporting elements.
The 1500 work spaces are arranged in traditional offices creating the character which denotes the project as a kind of big office machine, sophisticated and archaic at the same time.
In addition to offices, the PMI headquarters also houses amongst others several restaurants, a conference center, a recreational center, a roof top terrace and a day time nursery. It is truly a « city in the city » of more than 28’000 sqm.