Your specialist for lab containers · Switzerland’s pharmaceutical capital

Lab containers Basel – GMP and BSL laboratories for the pharmaceutical region

Name: Planexus GmbH
Address: Am Steinbach 8, Albstadt-Laufen, Baden-Württemberg, 72459, DE
Telephone: +49 7435 7519 700
Price range: €€€

Our managing directors bring more than ten years of experience in lab-container construction. Modular, SIA 261 Z2-compliant, T1 customs-cleared. We deliver flexible research and GMP environments for pharma, biotech, universities and hospitals in the Basel area — from the Albstadt works directly to Basel, via the A81 and the Weil am Rhein border in only 130 km.

While others are still planning, you are already researching.

Complimentary Basel site audit +49 7435 7519 700

Specialist in modular laboratory construction

Award 2026 EU Business News

Weil am Rhein customs clearance included

Wesemann Group · 60+ years of laboratory construction

Technically responsible

Planexus Engineering Team · Location ownership Basel

Content is owned by the Planexus engineering team — civil engineers, process engineers and laboratory planners with specialised experience in modular laboratory construction. Planexus GmbH is part of Wesemann Holding GmbH and delivers BSL-2, BSL-3, GMP and ATEX containers for pharma, biotech, research and crisis units across DACH.

HQ: Albstadt, BW Plant: Am Steinbach 8, 72459 Albstadt Award: German CEO Excellence Award 2026 Last technical review: April 2026

Pattern interrupt · World premiere at analytica 2026

Planexus shows Basel what a lab container can really do in 2026

An ordinary lab container has 2,400 mm internal height. Working upright at a fume cupboard is a struggle.

The Planexus LABtoGO has 2,750 mm internal height. 9.5 m external length. 3 m external width. A fully glazed front that brings genuine daylight into every Basel pharmaceutical, biotech or research laboratory.

An ordinary lab container fits entirely inside a LABtoGO. We configure it for Basel to SIA 261 seismic zone Z2 (considerably higher than Zurich Z1a), SIA 380/1 energy, T1 customs clearance from the Albstadt works via Weil am Rhein, and a T13/T15 Swiss electrical connection.

2,750

mm internal height

Standard: 2,400 mm

9,500

mm external length

3,000 mm width

SIA Z2

Seismic agd 1.0 m/s²

~67% above Zurich

130 km

Works → Basel

2 h via Weil

View the LABtoGO platform and all configurations

Planexus solves the three Basel bottlenecks at which pharma and research containers regularly fail

SIA 261 Z2 instead of Z1a — seismic design is critical

Basel lies in SIA 261 seismic zone Z2 (agd 1.0 m/s²) — around 67 per cent higher than Zurich (Z1a, agd 0.6 m/s²). The background is the historic Basel earthquake of 1356, the strongest north of the Alps. Containers sized only for Z1a or purely to DIN fail at the Basel-Stadt Building Inspectorate. BWK II classification is virtually standard for safety-relevant pharmaceutical and hospital sites.

Planexus answer: Structural design to SIA 261 Z2 with BWK II documented from the works.

Basel pharma cluster — GMP audit-ready from day one

Basel’s pharmaceutical groups will not accept pilot containers without Swissmedic-ready IQ/OQ/PQ documentation, ISO 14644 cleanroom and Annex 1 compliance. Anyone offering a standard container “with a GMP option” fails in the first audit round. An ESV application to FOEN/FOPH for genetically modified installations is also mandatory and is often forgotten.

Planexus answer: GMP cleanroom containers audit-ready from the works, ESV application included.

Trinational customs CH/DE/FR — more complex than any other Swiss location

Basel sites may lie in Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft or in French Saint-Louis. Saint-Louis = EU single market (no customs clearance); BS/BL = Swiss T1 clearance with 8.1% VAT or ATA Carnet for rental. Standard freight operators lump this into a flat rate and are often wrong — several thousand CHF of difference is possible.

Planexus answer: Site-dependent clearance at Weil am Rhein or EU single-market delivery.

Lab containers for Basel: what the pharma triad, SIA Z2 and Weil am Rhein customs clearance demand of the engineering

Basel is Switzerland’s pharmaceutical capital and one of the world’s most important life-science locations. Across 37 square kilometres of city area, globally active pharmaceutical groups, CDMO contract manufacturers, universities, university hospitals and extra-university research institutes compete for space, permits and engineering capacity.

We know this market in detail. We know that the Basel-Stadt Building Inspectorate at Rittergasse 4, 4051 Basel, decides under the BPG and BPV, and that the Liestal Building Inspectorate is competent for Basel-Landschaft (RBG BL). We know that SIA 261 defines seismic zone Z2 for Basel with agd = 1.0 m/s² — around 67 per cent higher than Zurich — and that the Basel earthquake of 1356 (magnitude 6.6) has shaped Swiss seismic standards. We know that containers for safety-relevant pharmaceutical and hospital sites are practically always classified in Bauwerksklasse II (BWK II) and that ESV notification to FOEN/FOPH plus Swissmedic inspection readiness from day one are mandatory. We know the trinational special situation: sites in Saint-Louis (FR) lie in the EU single market — without customs clearance — while Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft are processed under the T1 transit procedure with clearance at the Weil am Rhein customs office. These details are not in our quotation — they are the engineering and logistics foundation of every container that leaves our Albstadt works.

Made in Albstadt, customs-cleared at Weil am Rhein, turnkey in Basel. Final assembly and interior fit-out are carried out with Wesemann furniture in our own works — factory visits can be arranged from either side. South on the A81 via Singen/Stockach, then west on the A98 along the German–Swiss border and through the Weil am Rhein/Basel-Hiltalingerstrasse border crossing directly into the Basel area, the heavy-haulage distance is around 130 kilometres — the shortest heavy-haulage route from a German works to any Swiss location. The Basel-Nord junctions for Kleinhüningen harbour and the industrial sites, Basel-Süd for the sites in St. Johann and Wettstein, and Basel-Ost (A2/A3 junction) for the sites on Münchensteinerstrasse and in Rosental are standard delivery points.

Whether you need a mobile laboratory in Basel for a time-limited hospital refurbishment, a modular lab container in Basel for a permanent expansion on a brownfield site in Basel-Nord, or a container laboratory in Basel with BSL-3 containment and Swissmedic-ready GMP for pharmaceutical pilot plants — we deliver all three answers from the same platform: the LABtoGO from our Albstadt works, with Swiss customs, Z2 structural and energy documentation from the factory.

Six engineering disciplines for the pharmaceutical capital

Planexus builds lab containers for Basel that are aligned in every discipline with Swiss realities and the pharma triad — not generic, but standard- and site-specific.

SIA 261 Z2 seismic

agd 1.0 m/s² + BWK II

Basel lies in Z2 (~67% higher than Zurich Z1a). Structural design with SIA 263 anchoring concept, BWK II for pharmaceutical and hospital sites — not DIN alone.

GMP + Swissmedic

Audit-ready from day one

EU Annex 1 + ISO 14644 Class 7, IQ/OQ/PQ documentation Swissmedic-ready. Pharma-audit-ready without rework.

Trinational customs

Weil am Rhein or EU Saint-Louis

Site-dependent: T1 from Weil am Rhein for BS/BL (8.1% Swiss VAT) or EU single-market delivery to Saint-Louis (FR) without customs clearance.

ESV at FOEN/FOPH

Swiss authority path

Genetically modified installations S1/S2/S3 under the Containment Ordinance at FOEN/FOPH — not GenTSV/BVL. Application documents in Swiss form.

SIA 380/1 energy

U ≤ 0.17 + HR ≥ 75%

SIA 380/1 and MuKEn 2014/2025 stricter than the German GEG. Sandwich envelope and triple glazing sized at the works.

Basel-Nord brownfield

AltlV + TVA Basel-Stadt

Former chemical sites with pharmaceutical contamination — preliminary review under the Contaminated Sites Ordinance and the Technical Ordinance on Waste, base slab with barrier layer.

Basel – Europe’s pharmaceutical capital at the tri-border

With the cross-border BioValley cluster, Basel is one of Europe’s densest life-science locations — spread across two half-cantons, each with its own building inspectorate. From the Albstadt works it is only 130 km via the A81 and the Weil am Rhein border crossing, the shortest heavy-haulage route from a German works into Switzerland. Planexus knows the customs clearance, SIA Z2 structural design and Swissmedic paths for St. Johann, Wettstein and the sites in Basel-Nord.

Planexus for Basel: EU Award 2026, SIA Z2-compliant, Wesemann ecosystem

Four pillars that no competitor in the DACH region combines in this way.

Award 2026

EU Business News – German CEO Excellence Awards 2026: Planexus recognised as “Leading provider of innovative laboratory spaces”. Internationally awarded immediately after the LABtoGO world premiere.

Made in Albstadt

Final assembly, interior fit-out and QC at the Albstadt works. SIA 261 Z2 structural design, SIA 380/1 insulation and T13/T15 electrical connection pre-configured at the factory. Factory visits available.

Wesemann ecosystem

Part of Wesemann Holding, with more than 60 years of experience in laboratory fit-out. Containers, furniture, cleanroom technology — from a single source. Weil am Rhein customs clearance included.

Comparison for Basel: LABtoGO, standard containers and conventional construction

An honest comparison matrix. So you can make an informed decision before we talk.

Criterion	Conventional build, Basel	Standard container	LABtoGO
Lead time	24–36 months	16–22 weeks	8–14 weeks
SIA 261 Z2 structural	Standard	Rarely from the factory	Standard from the factory
GMP/Swissmedic	Case by case	Rare	Audit-ready from the factory
Weil customs	Case by case	Rarely co-ordinated	T1/ATA Carnet included
Mobility	None	Limited	Fully mobile
T13/T15 connection	Standard	Rare	Pre-configured at the factory

Investment models

Rent, buy or hire-purchase — we build the model around your Basel project

Container specification, biosafety level, GMP requirement, SIA Z2 structural design and duration determine the calculation. Instead of a dummy price range, you receive a project-specific written indication in CHF within 24 hours.

For the calculation we need: Basel site (Wettstein, St. Johann, Münchenstein, Spitalstrasse, Rosental, Basel-Nord), biosafety level (S1/S2/S3, GMP, ATEX), desired duration and whether T1 clearance at Weil am Rhein (purchase) or ATA Carnet (rental).

Rental (ATA Carnet)

Flexible, without a VAT charge

For clinical studies at university hospitals, time-limited third-party-funded research at universities, and short-term pilot lines at pharmaceutical companies. ATA Carnet, temporary admission — no Swiss VAT.

Purchase (T1 Weil)

Asset, permanent import

For permanent expansion at pharmaceutical and chemical sites or on brownfield land. T1 with Weil am Rhein clearance, 8.1% Swiss VAT.

Hire-purchase

Transition from rental to ownership

When a study interim becomes a permanent site — the ATA Carnet is converted to T1, rental payments later credited against the purchase.

Logistics evidence

Albstadt works → Basel: 130 km via A81 + A98 + Weil am Rhein border

From the Albstadt works the heavy-haulage route runs south on the A81 via Singen/Stockach, then west on the A98 along the German–Swiss border and through the Weil am Rhein/Basel-Hiltalingerstrasse border crossing directly into the Basel area. Driving time is about 2 hours; with Weil am Rhein clearance typically one transport day — the shortest heavy-haulage route from a German works to any Swiss location.

Standard containers under 4 m width and 18 t do not require an abnormal-load permit — next-day installation is possible. Oversized plants are co-ordinated with a 60–200 t mobile crane and escort vehicles. Optional: delivery by container vessel via the Swiss Rhine Ports Kleinhüningen/Auhafen Birsfelden from Rotterdam/Antwerp for very large orders (≥ 10 modules).

From order to operational handover in Basel takes 8 to 14 weeks.

130

km from works

~2 h

Heavy haulage

A81/A98

via Weil

Motorway junctions

Basel-Nord for Kleinhüningen harbour and the industrial sites, Basel-Süd for the sites in St. Johann, Wettstein and on Spitalstrasse, Basel-Ost (A2/A3 junction) for the sites on Münchensteinerstrasse and in Rosental. Mobile-crane installation the following day after Weil am Rhein clearance.

Basel permits

We prepare everything for the BS+BL building inspectorates, FOEN/FOPH and Swissmedic

Basel has clear competences — with the particularity of two half-cantons. We deal with all authorities; you do not.

BPG Basel-Stadt + RBG Basel-Landschaft

In Basel-Stadt the Building and Planning Act (BPG) applies, with the Building Inspectorate at Rittergasse 4, 4051 Basel. In Basel-Landschaft the Spatial Planning and Building Act (RBG) BL applies, with the Building Inspectorate in Liestal. We classify your site and submit examinable building documents for both half-cantons.

SIA 261 Z2 structural from the works

Swiss building inspectorates do not accept DIN structural calculations on their own. We supply SIA 261 with the Z2 factor (agd 1.0 m/s²) and an SIA 263 anchoring concept, Bauwerksklasse II for pharmaceutical and hospital sites — procedure-ready for BS and BL.

ESV at FOEN/FOPH — the Swiss counterpart to GenTG

BSL-3 in Switzerland requires notification under the Containment Ordinance (ESV) to FOEN and FOPH. We supply a risk assessment, safety concept and complete application documents in Swiss form — not GenTSV/BVL.

Swissmedic for GMP and therapeutic products

GMP pilot containers for pharmaceutical production in Basel are inspected by Swissmedic Bern (Therapeutic Products Act, HMG). We supply IQ/OQ/PQ documentation and cleanroom validation that is Swissmedic-ready — suitable for all pharmaceutical and Swiss biotech sites.

How Planexus builds your container laboratory in Basel

Five steps, one point of contact — from the first sketch to customs-cleared handover.

We listen

Requirements workshop on site in Basel or by video. Which biosafety level, which site (Wettstein, St. Johann, Münchenstein, Spitalstrasse, Rosental, Basel-Nord), which SIA standard, which date, T1 purchase or ATA rental.

We plan

CAD layout, building services, structural design to SIA 261 Z2 + 263, energy to SIA 380/1. BPG-compliant building documents for the Basel-Stadt Building Inspectorate or RBG-compliant for Basel-Landschaft.

We build

Module prefabrication at our certified Polish partner, final assembly and interior fit-out at the Albstadt works with Wesemann furniture. SIA 380/1 insulation, T13/T15 connection and QC before dispatch.

We clear customs and deliver

T1 transit or ATA Carnet from the Albstadt works, clearance at the Weil am Rhein customs office. Heavy haulage A81 → A98 (130 km, one transport day). Installation by mobile crane. Connection of all utilities, function and leak tests.

We hand over

IQ/OQ/PQ documentation, Swissmedic-ready. Training for your operators. Maintenance options up to 24 months — extendable on request.

FAQ — Lab containers for Basel

Seven questions, seven answers. Direct, without marketing speak.

How long does it take to deliver a lab container from the Albstadt works to Basel?

The heavy-haulage route from the Albstadt works to Basel runs south on the A81 via Singen/Stockach, then west on the A98 along the German–Swiss border, and through the Weil am Rhein/Basel-Hiltalingerstrasse border crossing directly into the Basel area. Driving time is around 2 hours over approximately 130 kilometres — the shortest heavy-haulage route from a German works to any Swiss location. Customs clearance is at the Weil am Rhein customs office under the T1 transit procedure, with an ATA Carnet for temporary import. Standard delivery points: Basel-Nord for port and industrial sites, Basel-Süd for the sites in St. Johann and Wettstein, Basel-Ost (A2/A3 junction) for the sites on Münchensteinerstrasse and in Rosental. From order to operational handover in Basel takes 8 to 14 weeks.

Which permits do I need for a lab container in the Canton of Basel-Stadt or Basel-Landschaft?

In Basel-Stadt the Bau- und Planungsgesetz (BPG, Building and Planning Act of Basel-Stadt) and the Bau- und Planungsverordnung (BPV, Building and Planning Ordinance) apply. The competent authority is the Bauinspektorat Basel-Stadt (Building Inspectorate) at Rittergasse 4, 4051 Basel. In Basel-Landschaft the Raumplanungs- und Baugesetz (RBG BL, Spatial Planning and Building Act) applies, with the Building Inspectorate in Liestal. Containers are treated as buildings and installations; a building permit is required in most cases. Temporary siting of under three months may, depending on the site, be possible under a simplified notification. For GMP, BSL-2 and BSL-3 containers, the Einschliessungsverordnung (ESV, Containment Ordinance) at FOEN/FOPH and the Therapeutic Products Act with Swissmedic competence also apply — particularly important in the pharmaceutical environment. We classify your site in advance and submit procedure-ready building documents for both half-cantons.

Which seismic requirements apply to lab containers in Basel under SIA 261?

Under SIA 261, Basel lies in seismic zone Z2 with a horizontal design ground acceleration of agd = 1.0 m/s² — around 67 per cent higher than Zurich (Z1a, agd 0.6 m/s²). The background is the Basel earthquake of 1356, the strongest historically documented earthquake north of the Alps, with an estimated magnitude of 6.6. For Z2 the anchoring of container laboratories is structurally considerably more demanding — Bauwerksklasse II (BWK II) is virtually standard for safety-relevant pharmaceutical and hospital sites, because safety-critical functions are housed here. Planexus supplies Basel with structural design to SIA 261 with the Z2 factor and an SIA 263 anchoring concept from the Albstadt works — not DIN alone, but procedure-ready for the Basel-Stadt Building Inspectorate.

How does Weil am Rhein customs clearance work for containers into Basel?

The Weil am Rhein/Basel border crossing is the most direct Swiss crossing from the Albstadt works — with no detour. We clear goods under the T1 transit procedure, with processing at the Weil am Rhein (DE) and Basel/Hiltalingerstrasse (CH) customs offices. Permanent import attracts Swiss VAT of 8.1 per cent (as at 2026). Temporary import (for example a rental container for clinical studies at hospitals or a pilot container for pharmaceutical companies) can be cleared under temporary admission with an ATA Carnet — no VAT, with a security deposit. Basel trinational special case: sites in French Saint-Louis (the life-sciences corridor towards the EuroAirport region) are in the EU single market — we then do not clear customs. We co-ordinate the entire process.

Can you deliver containers by ship to the Port of Basel?

Yes. Basel is the only Swiss city location with its own inland port (Swiss Rhine Ports, Kleinhüningen harbour and Auhafen Birsfelden). For oversized or several parallel modules, delivery by container vessel from Rotterdam/Antwerp is possible — from the Albstadt works we would take the modules by HGV to the Rhine port of Mannheim or Karlsruhe, then inland vessel to Basel. This is usually only economic for very large orders (≥ 10 modules); for individual containers the direct heavy-haulage route via Weil am Rhein is cheaper and faster. We calculate both variants transparently.

What must I consider on brownfield sites in Basel?

The former chemical and pharmaceutical sites in Basel-Nord are classic brownfields with contaminated land from more than 100 years of chemical production. Siting there requires, before construction, a preliminary investigation under the Altlasten-Verordnung (AltlV, Contaminated Sites Ordinance) and the Technische Verordnung über Abfälle (TVA, Technical Ordinance on Waste), co-ordinated with the Amt für Umwelt und Energie Basel-Stadt (Office for the Environment and Energy). We supply construction-preparation recommendations (base slab with barrier layer, drainage concept, possibly a lifting arrangement over existing contamination) and work closely with Swiss ground consultants. These sites are developing into Basel’s new life-science addresses — for transitional uses, pilot and GMP containers are a suitable solution.

Which applications are particularly in demand in Basel?

Basel is Switzerland’s pharmaceutical capital and one of the world’s most important life-science locations. Typical uses for lab containers arise around the region’s pharmaceutical and biotech sites — GMP pilot containers and BSL-3 research modules as well as cleanroom and containment containers — around university and basic research — BSL-2 third-party-funded containers and high-end research containers — and around the university hospitals — study containers during hospital refurbishments.

Complimentary site audit

Send us your Basel site and your laboratory profile

Within 48 hours we deliver: a site assessment (BS, BL or Saint-Louis FR), a container configuration with dimensions and specifications, the permit path under BPG/RBG, a customs strategy (T1 Weil or EU Saint-Louis), a delivery and installation date, and an indicative investment bracket in CHF.

Direct contact

Phone

+49 7435 7519 700

info@planexus.de

Works & headquarters (130 km via A81 + A98 + Weil)

Emil-Mayer-Straße 1
72461 Albstadt (DE)

Factory visit

We show you your container during manufacture — including SIA 261 Z2 structural design and SIA 380/1 insulation before dispatch. By appointment.

Write to us

Container laboratory Basel

Lab containers Basel — Albstadt factory visit and site audit

We manufacture LABtoGO to order at the Albstadt works — SIA 261 Z2 structural design, SIA 380/1 insulation and T13/T15 electrical connection pre-configured at the factory. Factory visits available at any time; complimentary site audit including Weil am Rhein customs strategy.

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