Bubenberg Center, CH-Bern
A new building in the western wing of the Bubenberg Center will create a new entrance to the train station. The upper floors will offer flexible commercial space. In the 1960s, there was a tremendous sense of optimism surrounding the construction of the new main train station in Bern. The city now had a unique opportunity to break away from its historicist architecture. Bern became “modern” and shone in the reflections of its expansive glass facades. The Bubenberg Center was also built in this spirit.
Together with the new train station and the new post office buildings, the row of buildings at Bubenbergstrasse 8 – 12 formed an ensemble that was harmoniously integrated into the urban landscape. In the future, the building will serve as the main entrance to the new “Mitte” underpass at the Bern train station. This necessitates a generously proportioned opening on the ground floor of the building. At the same time, the building marks the northern end of Bubenbergplatz and the beginning of Schanzenstrasse.
A clear, continuous structural system of beams and columns maximizes the open space on the ground floor of the main building. Retail and dining areas are planned alongside the two stairwells. Access to the stairs and escalators is spatially set aside by a suspended mezzanine. This partially raises the ground floor to 6.85 meters, creating a spacious entrance hall. The curtain-wall glass façade embodies the concept of envelopment. The choice of glass as the material reflects the intention to establish a connection among the “Modernist” buildings. This ensures that the ensemble continues to be perceived as a unified whole. The structural principle of the facade is kept simple. The glass skin, consisting of differently tinted glass strips held in a metal profile, creates a vertical structure with a subtle sense of depth.