BäreTower, Ostermundigen

At a key location in the aspiring municipality of Ostermundigen, a streamlined, 32-storey high-rise building rises up into the air. Together with a 5-storey annex and a free-standing cube, it forms the prelude to the planned structural densification on the periphery of Bern. The filigree façade of natural and bronze-coloured anodised aluminium, together with the change in basic form between the ninth and tenth floors, creates an exciting façade typology. The coloured glass roofing of the Bärenplatz in front, designed by the artist Sophie Bouvier Ausländerin, is in dialogue with the multi-layered light reflections of the 100-metre-high building and thus gives the place its identity-creating aura. Gastronomy and retail areas as well as office and service spaces are oriented towards the new square. The lower part of the tower houses a hotel, with a panoramic restaurant and flats above. Together with the newly built tram stop, the BäreTower forms the focal point of a new urban centre.