Nuovo Archivio di Città e Stazione delle Ambulanze della città di Biel / Bienne
Neubau Bieler Stadtarchiv und Ambulanzgarage Region Biel / Bienne
The proposal completes the urban block according with the principle that leaded the three existing buildings masterplan: a centrifugal rotation of masses around a central point represented by the firestation tower. The new building volume, a compact prism of 46m x 22m x 13 m, is isolated from the other that surround it, respecting the minimum distances allowed by the law, and alienated to them facing Gartenstrasse (allineation with the sportshall front) and Mattenstrasse (allineation with existing garage front). That generates an harmonic urban composition, continuous streets fronts and allows an efficient use of the generous open spaces resulting of it: a clear and comfortable access and space for maneuvering for vehicles in Mattenstrasse and a free open access space for the ambulance station.
The new building emphasizes the pedestrian character of the Gartenstrasse putting the public access of the new city archive in the southern corner with Mattenstrasse, creating a new polarity, opposite to the sportshall entrance, that invites you to walk through the all Gartenstrasse.
The creation of this new pole has been taken an occasion to investigate the architectural topic of corners entrance in public buildings, reinterpreted in a contemporary way. The design solution to this topic has been to cut the pure prism in correspondence with this corner, creating triangle shaped public plaza next to the double high entrance of the archive and continuity with gartenstrasse and mattenstrasse. The new city archives, as a public institution, invites you to enter and to use his spaces.
