MSD employees move into new headquarters in Lucerne
Lucerne - In total, 750 employees of the pharmaceutical firm MSD have moved into new headquarters located next to Lucerne railway station. The site brings MSD Switzerland employees together with its international sales team. Up to now, these jobs were split between the Citybay, Tribschen and MSD Ringcenter Kriens sites.
A total of 750 MSD Switzerland employees started working in the new building in Rösslimatt, Lucerne, on April 1. At its new headquarters, located directly adjacent to the train station, the Swiss subsidiary of the US pharmaceutical giant MSD is bringing together its previous locations in Citybay, Tribschen and Kriens. In so doing, the company has unified MSD Switzerland and its international sales teams covering Europe, Canada, Africa and the Middle East at its new site covering 18,000 square meters.
«This allows us to bundle our expertise and implement new forms of collaboration across all departments», as Jasper Kunow, interim CEO of MSD Switzerland, comments in an article published by the «Luzerner Zeitung». The company’s existing site at The Circle by Zurich Airport will remain in operation. «We have established a globally oriented Innovation & Development Hub there», Kunow explains, adding that this facility «does not house traditional local sales functions, but rather primarily international, knowledge and data-driven roles».
According to Kunow, what distinguishes the new headquarters in Lucerne from other major MSD locations is its central city location: «In terms of the global competition, this is also vital when it comes to attracting talent».
The Stuttgart-based Ippolito Fleitz Group is responsible for the interior design of the six-story, open-plan building with its structured glass facades. While there are no assigned workstations, there is plenty of space to accommodate a range of communication and concentration needs. The multifunctional central hub, referred to as agora, at the heart of the ground floor serves as a meeting place and additionaly offers unobstructed views of all the floors above.
According to MSD project manager Nick Pigue, this ties in nicely with the guiding principles of MSD’s new Swiss headquarters: collaboration and community. In addition, there is a coffee bar with a barista, while the sixth floor is home to a library, breastfeeding room, daybeds, pool table, fitness center and sun terrace, which employees can use during downtime. Antonio Ligi, Head of Communications at MSD, expresses his conviction that «our employees will be particularly happy to come into the office and will do so more frequently in the future».
