In the newly opened diagnostics and innovation center in the German town of Penzberg, in-vitro diagnostics and specific testing procedures will be developed to detect diseases at an early stage in future.
Penzberg, Upper Franconia, Germany, February 25, 2026. Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular diseases often remain unnoticed in the human body for a long time. This is set to change in the future thanks to early detection tests and in-vitro diagnostics. The newly built diagnostics and innovation center of Roche in Penzberg will develop these tests and diagnostics. The building operates virtually carbon free, reduces energy requirements by around 70 percent compared to previous laboratories, and it offers space for 1,000 employees of the Penzberg site. Drees & Sommer SE assisted with the realization of the construction project worth 300 million euros. The company specializes in providing advice on construction, real estate and infrastructure. The 35,000 square meter building was opened in mid-February in the presence of project participants and guests from politics and business.
Detecting Diseases Earlier and Treating them More Effectively
Over 3.5 billion people worldwide suffer from neurodegenerative and chronic illnesses, with this figure set to rise. Roche is responding to this by introducing innovative tests: “The tests will enable doctors to detect even the smallest changes in patients at an early stage using a blood sample and to select more appropriate, tailored therapies,“ says Thomas Schinecker, CEO of Roche.
The new center is part of a comprehensive investment offensive: since 2020, the pharmaceutical company has invested more than 3.5 billion euros in its premises across Germany – around 50 percent of the investment was made in Penzberg’s campus. “The new development center not only strengthens our economic and research presence in Germany. In this way, we also create the conditions that will enable us to further boost our international competitiveness and to offer medical solutions internationally.”
Scheduled Construction
Drees & Sommer was commissioned to ensure that the building was completed quickly and efficiently. Project head Adrian Schwarz and his team managed all processes required for smooth operations before, during and after completion of the construction. The 30-strong team integrated the various specialized disciplines, such as digital planning methods or building information modeling (BIM), in the building and planning workflows, monitored the construction site logistics and coordinated the awarding of contracts to general contractors and individual businesses.
The team adopted lean construction principles to make sure that all parties working on the construction site initiated and completed their work efficiently and on time. Adrian Schwarz explained: ”We scheduled all the project steps exactly to the day and displayed them visually and transparently on a project board, for everyone. We coordinated the operational and construction deadlines in such a way that all the trades could mesh seamlessly – starting from planning through workflows on the construction site up to preparations for future operations.“
Sustainable Operations Thanks to Innovative Technology
Roche complies with strict environmental standards for its buildings worldwide, and Penzberg is no exception. The new building operates virtually carbon free and reduces energy requirements by around 70 percent compared to previous laboratories. This is achieved by techniques such as a timber-hybrid construction, an efficient low-temperature heating system that makes intelligent use of waste heat, and a photovoltaic system on the roof. Employees in the new building also benefit from a high degree of smart and digitalized processes in their everyday work. More than 4,400 sensors record energy consumption in real time, while a digital system controls and documents whether the laboratory equipment is in use and how it is being used. Innovations such as a pipetting robot and the fully automated specimen storage system, referred to as the ‘Cube’, speed up processes in the laboratory, leaving staff more time for their core scientific work.