On the former Hunziker Area in the south of Bern, a new residential complex is being built, to be completed in autumn 2008. Its aim is to offer the new residents something out of the ordinary: urban living with the prospect of spectacular views into the distance.

 

The award-winning “Spacious Rooms” project originally realised as part of a competition [ > wettbewerbe weissenstein bern ], comprises an approx. 220-metre long house situated on the new Hardeggstrasse and six individual houses which, as strong elements in the newly designed environment, create a distinctive urban identity even when viewed from a distance. They will be part of a new urban residential area for just under 1,000 inhabitants featuring all the required communal facilities, shopping amenities, kindergarten and pensioners’ facilities. The vast open spaces that today characterise the landscape between Gurten and Könizberg will be retained. Thanks to the open spaces in the immediate neighbourhood with sports grounds in the northeast and a natural environment with open countryside and Sulgenbach stream flowing in the southwest, the future inhabitants of Hardegg development will benefit from unobstructable views ranging from the Schwarzenburg Alps to the Bernese and Neuchâtel Jura.

 

Overall, 183 rented flats and owner-occupied apartments will be built covering a wide range of different types, from studio apartments on the ground floor on Hardeggstrasse, and duplex flats to one-level flats and lofts of various sizes. The aim is for the unusually wide spectrum of diverse apartment types to attract a broad range of different people and thus to create a truly urban atmosphere.

 

The architecture of the long house is characterised by subtly designed form, room-height windows and the large terraces which elegantly divide the complex into clearly distinguishable units. The individual houses are clearly proportioned, slender and high cubes with some of the corner sections featuring two-storey terraces. Making use of concrete elements, their construction is reminiscent of the industrial sites which used to be located in the area. In combination, large exterior surfaces which are open to the public and covered by both mature and newly planted trees as well as Sulgenbach stream running through their midst make for a special and very attractive living environment.