A central connecting structure mediates between the old and the new, providing barrier-free access to Klingelbergstrasse and improving the connection to the surrounding urban area. The current rear side of the Bernoullianum is thus upgraded and gains appropriate public visibility. At the same time, the project responds to future urban developments, such as the planned tram line, and promotes the opening of the university campus toward the city.
The spatial concept is clearly structured: a central circulation axis connects all major public functions – including the new forum, the light-filled foyer, the event space, and the reading room – into a continuous sequence of spaces. Together with an orthogonally oriented foyer, this axis forms a cross-shaped circulation figure that offers clear orientation. The design also incorporates the logic of the historical building’s circulation and extends it with the new structure into a complete loop.
The new building also enhances the site’s landscape quality. The removal of the 1950s annex reveals the original silhouette of the Bernoullianum, including its former observatory. Surrounding open spaces are connected through new green areas, easing the transition to neighboring districts. Public space is expanded through an urban promenade that runs through the new ensemble and functions as a “Foyer Publique” – a public interior space offering a high quality of stay without requiring consumption.
Functionally, the complex is divided into public and controlled areas. The lower levels are used for delivery, processing, and storage of archival materials, with highly secure underground rooms ensuring the protection of the collection. Use is organized efficiently: workspaces are located along the façades to make optimal use of daylight, while publicly accessible areas are situated on the ground and first floors. The reading room and library are the central components of the user area for the special collection and form the architectural highlight of the complex on the raised piano nobile level.
The historic Bernoullianum will also be carefully restored and integrated into the new structure. The former lecture hall will be transformed into a forum with a reconstructed skylight. The entrance hall serves as a transition between old and new, deliberately exposing the historical building layers. The design does not aim for contrast, but rather for a respectful architectural dialogue that honors and further develops the history of the site.
Overall, the result is an integrative, functional, and architecturally sophisticated building complex that connects people, processes, and spaces. The project sees itself as a contribution to an open, sustainable, and future-oriented campus in the heart of the city.
