The BIS-Tower, more commonly known as the BIS-high rise, is a 69.5-meter-high administrative tower and headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland.

Designed by architect Martin Burckhardt and built between 1972 and 1977, the tower is a landmark of the Central Railway Station and the city of Basel.

The BIS Tower dominates the Basel skyline with its striking silhouette, and its color scheme and aesthetics set the style for several commercial and administrative buildings in the 1970s.

The BIS archive in the basement is listed as a cultural asset of national importance by the Canton of Basel City.

In addition, the BIS Tower is a regular venue for bi-monthly meetings of policymakers from the IMF and national central banks.

This informal exchange - known as the Basel Process - is designed to foster cooperation among central banks and other bodies and is considered a key pillar of the international financial stability debate.

Swiss authorities have access only if the President or CEO of the BIS grants permission and waives the principle of territorial inviolability.

Between 1954 and 1966, the increasing need for space led the architect Martin Burckhardt to draw up a series of building projects that could be realized on the 3300-square-meter site owned by the bank.

When the core was completed at a height of 69 meters on the top floor, the control measurement showed a deviation within the tolerance limit of ± 2 millimeters.

In 1997, in response to the expansion of its activities and the associated increase in staffing requirements, BIS launched an international architectural competition for the redesign of its administration tower.

Instead, in May 1998, BIS acquired a building designed by Mario Botta on Basel's Aeschenplatz, which was originally occupied by UBS.

To this end, the BIS has applied to the canton for a zoning change for the area immediately south of the current tower for further expansion.

The designs for this high rise were drawn up by the architects Elemental from Santiago de Chile in collaboration with Nissen Wentzlaff from Basel.

The building stands on a square plot of land bordered by Heumattenstrasse to the west, Centralbahnstrasse to the south, and Gartenstrasse to the east.

The ramp of the eastern portal to the Nauen tunnel is located at the level of the BIS tower, which allows the central section of Nauenstrasse to run underground.

Near the BIS Tower are the Post 2, Hotel Schweizerhof, the administrative building of Basel Insurance, and, opposite the crossroads, the Strassburger Memorial and the Elisabeth Park.

The copper-colored façade consists of a hyperboloid[23] shell of twelve load-bearing steel columns and uniformly inserted glazed metal elements.

The BIS Tower is surrounded by this extensive base structure, the roof of which is also partially greened with richly planted terraced gardens and extends up to the seventh floor.

The planting is intended to provide a necessary contrast to the massive tower architecture, creating a calm, restrained atmosphere.

[27] Since even members of the press are rarely granted access due to strict security regulations,[28] only historical pictures and descriptions of the interior are known.

The geometrically designed rooms are carpeted and the furnishings reflect an exclusive lounge atmosphere from the days when the BIS was based at the Grand Hotel.

The 19th-floor houses part of the building services, including the central air conditioning system and the elevator engine room.

An article in a special supplement of the Basler Zeitung spoke of an "undoubtedly impressive new creation" and a subtle design language thanks to the concave lines.

[29] In a 2003 retrospective, the magazine Architektur & Technik praised the building's location near the SBB railway station as a well-chosen choice because of the important impulses it provides.

[25] The BIS Tower had a direct structural impact on the Hilton Hotel across the street, which opened in 1975, closed in 2015, and was demolished in 2016.

[32][33][34] This is intended to evoke associations with the Tower of Babel as a symbol of the financial world's hubris and striving for power.