Bern: Municipal housing project to be realized as a timber construction
The project, which is intended to be both ecologically exemplary and to create affordable housing, emerged from a competition with 69 participants.
The City of Bern has announced that the project competition for a new building for the Fund for Land and Housing Policy at Freiburgstrasse 139e has been completed. Around 30 affordable apartments and additional uses on the first floor are to be built on the currently undeveloped city-owned plot in the Ausserholligen district. The competition was won by the consortium Notari Architetto & Pagano Architektur from Zurich.
The new building should be both ecologically exemplary and create affordable housing. A total of 69 project submissions were evaluated as part of the competition. According to the jury, the winning project envisages a timber construction with an innovative floor plan layout for space-optimized yet spacious living.
During construction, the Fund for Land and Housing Policy may make use of Article 16b paragraph 3 of the Building Regulations, which permits an increase in the occupancy rate of 20 % for the construction of affordable housing. All apartments will be let at cost rent, whereby at least 20 % will be allocated to the rental segment «affordable housing with rental criteria - new construction and renovations». According to current plans, the new building is expected to be completed by 2030.
