Köniz, Switzerland

Amplification of the town hall Köniz

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

The town hall is located between the railway line and the main street of Köniz. The existing building is protected as a historic monument. It is amplified with a new building on its northern and southern part and so it is experienced from inside and outside as a part of the new townhouse. As for decades the visitors enter the town hall through the old building, pass and arrive in the spacious atrium of the new construction.

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

With this ensemble of existing and new municipal administration the town of Köniz receives a meeting point with urban charisma, a real landmark of the new designed Bäuackersquare as a space of experience for population and administration.

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

The existing building is furthermore an independent volume within this new glass and concrete construction. It is a corner pillar where the new part attaches radically and seamlessly. The old building is framed and accentuated by an independent and valuable setting.

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

The town hall of Köniz is built with the Standard of minergie. At the time the townhouse is one of the biggest Minergie – administration building in the canton Berne and needs 50% less energy than a comparable conventional building.

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

CREDITS

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

Location

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

Landorfstrasse 1, 3098 Köniz BE, Switzerland

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

Terms

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

1996 Competition, 1. Prize
1999 Start of planning
2001 building application
2003 Start of construction
2005 Entry

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

Architecture: Planner community Morscher Bolliger GWJ

photo: Dominique Uldry and Cornelius Morscher

Morscher Architekten BSA SIA AG, Berne
Collaboration: Cornelius Morscher, Michael Lengacher, Jochen Solbach, Hans Anderfuhren
J. Bolloger Architekten AG, Aarau
GWJ Architekten AG, Berne
Collaboration: Andreas Jöhri, Stefan Signer