Halen
3037 Herrenschwanden
Siedlung Halen
Habitat and transformation
Planning and execution
1955-1961 Construction, studio 5
2010-2020 Successive refurbishments
Architekt:innen
Client
Ernst Göhner AG
Further information
In the post-war years, the Halen estate set new standards for high-density housing in Switzerland and abroad. In a departure from the satellite housing estates that were being built around the world according to Classic Modernism principles, mostly in conurbations following standardised rules, the architects mixed the Halen estate concept with regional elements. They were inspired in particular by Bern's old town with its system of firewalls and arcades along the main streets. And yet the architectural language with its constituent elements, such as the brise soleil, remains uncompromisingly modern.
70 years later, we provide an insight into current life on the estate. To what extent can the estate, with its stringent principles of organisation, be transformed to meet today's needs and to what extent do the residents take a step back in their own interests to preserve the estate as a whole?
Visits and guided tours
Type of visit: Guided tours in groups, no free tours
Registration: required
Group size: maximum 30 people
Meeting point: main entrance to the estate
Guides: Urs Heimberg, resident and Professor of Spatial Planning and Urban Design BFH and Bernhard Egger, resident and architect
We provide an insight into current life in the estate. To what extent can the estate with its stringent organisational principles be transformed to meet today's needs and to what extent do the residents take a back seat in their own interests in order to preserve the estate as a whole?
Directions
Postbus no. 102 to "Herrenschwanden, Thalmatt"
Location
Halen
3037 Herrenschwanden