To promote medical research, the Kühne Foundation, with the support of the Canton of Graubünden and the municipality of Davos, is constructing a second research building on the Davos Medical Campus. This will strengthen patient-centred research into allergies and cardiovascular diseases. The building not only houses the Kühne Foundation’s medical programmes but also provides an excellent infrastructure for research and development projects carried out by medical companies and institutions in the canton of Graubünden.
The Kühne Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Europe, is expanding its research in the fields of allergology and cardiology at its Davos site. On 15 October 2024, the second research building on the Davos Medical Campus will be opened in the presence of leading figures from the worlds of science, politics and business.
The new building, with a floor area of around 3,000 m² and representing an investment of CHF 22 million, will be used by the Kühne Foundation’s medical programmes CK-CARE, Cardio-CARE and Davos BioSciences. It will house 40 researchers working on their patient-centred and innovative projects, in close cooperation with the Hochgebirgsklinik (HGK), the University Hospitals of Zurich (USZ) and Hamburg-Eppendorf (U-KE), as well as the University of Zurich. On the other hand, researchers supported by the canton, the municipality, the University of Zurich and other partners will find an optimal infrastructure here. Research Building I has been home to the world-renowned Swiss Institute for Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) since 2019; the institute maintains close scientific collaboration with the Foundation’s medical programmes.
Once fully completed, the new building will feature modern laboratories for a total of 60 staff, enabling efficient and effective research. The high-tech laboratories will be available to researchers at the Medical Campus as well as to new partners and start-ups. Cardio-CARE’s high-performance server also enables vast amounts of data to be analysed and processed in the shortest possible time. The office spaces are located on the upper floors, facilitating short and cross-departmental lines of communication.
“The fields of research, education and innovation are of great importance to the competitiveness of the canton of Graubünden. They contribute to the diversification of Graubünden’s economic structure, create further attractive jobs and enable the canton to position itself as an attractive place to live and work.” Marcus Caduff, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Social Affairs.
“For the Kühne Foundation, the Davos Medical Campus is the centre of its medical funding activities. In total, over 500 staff work on the campus. In addition to providing excellent patient care at the high-altitude clinic, we are now strengthening personalised medicine in the fields of allergy and cardiology with the second research building. The interdisciplinary and application-oriented research made possible by the Kühne Foundation in Davos aims to make innovative medical findings available to patients with atopic dermatitis or cardiovascular diseases.” Dr Jörg Dräger, Executive Board Member of the Kühne Foundation.
“The architectural design is modelled on the Research I building, which has already been completed as part of the masterplan, in order to emphasise the visual identity of the research site. The circulation area on each floor, with multiple access points to the lettable spaces, opens up the possibility of subdividing the lettable spaces in future and making them available to different users.” Jan Glöckner, architect and partner at OOS AG. The Zurich-based architectural practice OOS is responsible for the masterplan for the entire site and its phased implementation, whilst the Chur-based general contractor RALBAU is responsible for ensuring completion on schedule.
Further information can be found at: www.medizincampusdavos.ch.