Office Block (Buildings 1 To 4) To Roche Products Factory

The Office Block (Buildings 1 to 4) to Roche Products Factory was built between 1938 and 1940 by Otto R Salvisberg of Zurich in association with C Stanley Brown, with later additions. The original factory buildings are aligned with, but located behind and to the left of, the original administration block, which has its entrance on the short end. The construction features reinforced concrete, and the factory buildings are steel framed with external surfaces rendered in an off-white color. The administration block is two stories high, with bronze entrance doors set back behind pilotis and seven narrow, deeply set vertical windows above. To the right, the principal staircase is accessed through a glazed door, which is the only feature that disrupts the austere white cubic form of the group of buildings. The factory buildings are four stories tall, with single-story spurs. They feature metal casement windows that are Georgian in proportion, closely set in long horizontal bands, and the overall horizontal appearance of the building is further emphasized by the widely projecting flat roof. The 1950s additions are not of special interest.