The architecture studio wulf architekten and STUDIOPEZ won the open and international competition of the Canton of Bern in 2018, where the aim was to concentrate the departments of Health, Social Work and Economics, as well as the department of Performing Arts of the HKB on a single campus in the Weyermannshaus Ost area in Bern, Switzerland.

The project begins the construction phase this year and is expected to be completed by 2029. The main challenge of the project was to generate a new dynamic space that would maintain the spirit of a campus, consolidating the different faculties under one roof.
Dreierlei is a winning proposal designed by wulf architekten and STUDIOPEZ for the projection of a new campus of the University of Bern, formed by three cubic volumes that are crossed by a pedestrian street that crosses the campus as a public spine that connects the city with a park.

The buildings are connected on the north side by an outdoor space, with public access, and with a stream open to the city. The materiality of the facades corresponds to the overall structural concept: they consist of prefabricated concrete elements in the plinth and wooden elements on the upper floors.


Display. New Campus University of Bern by wulf architekten and STUDIOPEZ.
 

Project description by STUDIOPEZ and wulf architekten

Background
The constant growth of the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) means that the various departments are currently spread across 26 different locations in Bern, Biel, Burgdorf, Magglingen and Zollikofen. This makes cooperation in teaching difficult and implies duplication and high rental costs, as well as lack of space. Many of the buildings currently occupied are aging. In 1997, 12 universities joined together to form the Bern University of Applied Sciences “BFH”.

In 2016, the Canton of Bern decided to concentrate the departments of Health (G), Social Work (S) and Economics (W), as well as the department of Performing Arts of the HKB (University of the Arts) on a single campus in the Weyermannshaus Ost area in Bern. In 2018, the “Dreierlei” project, designed by the design team wulf architekten gmbh from Stuttgart and STUDIOPEZ from Basel, won the open, international competition of the Canton of Bern. The project combines independent departmental buildings with a common “base” building and a large outdoor space.


Display. New Campus University of Bern by wulf architekten and STUDIOPEZ.

Concept
The challenge of this project was to generate a new dynamic space that maintained the spirit of a campus, consolidating the different faculties under one roof.

This objective is achieved through a pedestrian street that runs through the campus as a public spine that connects the city with a park.

The buildings are connected on the north side through a carefully planned outdoor space with public access, and with a stream open to the city, thus joining the campus.

A network of traffic-free trails, play areas, greenery, various outdoor spaces and seating areas invite visitors to stroll and be entertained. The building is designed with a hybrid concrete and wood structure and is equipped with an energy façade activated by photovoltaic panels.


Display. New Campus University of Bern by wulf architekten and STUDIOPEZ.

Proposal
The construction is conceived as a set of three volumes in cubes, which form a stepped building both in plan and in section. In this way, STUDIOPEZ responds with a simple architectural gesture to all the complexities of the project: the geometry of the site, the principles of the master plan, both in terms of volume and height and the relationship with neighboring buildings, the programmatic requirements and the environments. next.

The interconnection of the cubes and the clear structure of the floor plan allow maximum flexibility in use. Parallel to the campus park runs an interior access road, the so-called "interior street", which, as the main pedestrian artery of the university, links all the units together and leads to the vertical connection lobbies of the buildings.

The materiality of the facades corresponds to the overall structural concept: they consist of prefabricated concrete elements in the plinth and wooden elements on the upper floors.

The staggered height of the building reflects one of the guiding ideas of the master plan: «The building masses should be condensed towards the center of the site. Towards the edges of the site, the volumes of the buildings must transmit a mediating effect with the environment and the adjacent buildings. Adapting to the slope of the building's surroundings, the central cube twists, expressing the independence of its use as a high school of music and theater. This creates a playful appearance despite the compactness of the overall structure. In addition, it contributes to reinforcing the concept of "kneaded volume" found in several plots on campus.

More information

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Architects
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Collaborators
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WMM Ingenieure AG.
Reflexion AG.
holzprojekt gmbh.
Chaves Biedermann GmbH.
Drees & Sommer Schweiz AG, Büro Basel.
Dr. Lüchinger+Meyer.
Corenta AG.
HPMISTELI & PARTNER AG.
Müller-BBM GmbH.
Planungsbüro Theater- und Lichttechnik.
Rapp Infra AG.
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Area
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81,000 sqm.
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Dates
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2019.- contest.
2019-2024.- planning.
2024-2029.- construction.
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Location
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Berna, Switzerland.
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STUDIOPEZ is an international architecture studio based in Basel (Switzerland) and Tel Aviv (Israel), founded in 2011 by Pedro Peña Jurado (Córdoba, 1984) and Daniel Zarhy (Tel Aviv, 1980) as a continuation of their work and collaboration in the renowned studio Herzog & de Meuron during the 2000s.

At the origin of STUDIOPEZ are the multicultural roots of both founders and their desire to continue expanding the limits of design and architecture. The essence of STUDIOPEZ lies in diversity and its agility to offer simple solutions, without complications or dramas. Under these premises, the studio has participated in numerous large-scale and technically complex projects around the world.

 
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wulf architekten is an architecture studio that was founded by Tobias Wulf in 1987. It has a total of 150 employees distributed between its headquarters in Stuttgart, Berlin and Basel.

The office is currently headed by Tobias Wulf, Jan-Michael Kallfaß, Ingmar Menzer and Steffen Vogt. From 1996 to 2018, Kai Bierich and Alexander Vohl were partners of Tobias Wulf at wulf architekten. In addition to office activity, they also participate in teaching, in professional organizations, as specialized judges and in design committees. In recent years, his projects have been awarded numerous awards.

All the projects they produce are guided by ten premises regarding; concept, context, resources, vision, structure, form, space, type, flexibility and complexity. His spectrum of work encompasses a variety of sophisticated construction assignments. Their architecture is characterized by clarity and breadth: they also seek simple solutions for complex tasks, always aware of the finite nature of our resources. Their commitment to quality is based on the continuity of work throughout all phases of the project. Functionality and economy are the basis for developing high-quality architecture, although this is never the only goal.
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