A look around Scott Sports’s new HQ in Switzerland

Scott Sports has just moved to its new headquarters building in the Fribourg suburb of Givisiez in Switzerland. Costing 60m Swiss Francs and taking three years to build, it replaces the five buildings between which Scott’s 350 employees in R&D, sales and marketing were previously scattered.

Scott Sports is a major brand in other sports besides cycling. It was founded in 1958 when Ed Scott invented the aluminium ski pole, as an alternative to the steel or bamboo poles which were then the norm. It still has a large presence in ski equipment and markets ski clothing both in its own name and via its Powderhorn subsidiary.

The company moved its headquarters from the US to Switzerland in 1992.

Scott points out that there are major synergies in the development of kit between its markets, for example between ski helmets and bike helmets.

It has a presence in motocross and sports like trail running and has more recently bought brands like Dolomite hiking boots and is responsible for the European side of Outdoor Research hiking wear and equipment.

The new building has space spread over seven floors and includes showrooms for all of Scott’s and its subsidiaries’ ranges, as well as 50 meeting rooms. It’s designed for sustainability, including geothermal heating and cooling.

Window glass darkens and lightens according to the light and natural light and heat are also controlled by way of 800 external flaps which open and close automatically.

On the ground floor, there’s an impressively large showroom for all Scott’s bike models as well as its Syncros component brand and Hamburg-based subsidiary bike brand, Bergamont. There’s also a large restaurant and auditorium.

Below ground level, Scott houses showers and lockers for its staff as well as a large bike shed for their own bikes.

The whole is arranged around the impressive central space, looked over by the offices and with a glass roof to let in plenty of natural light.