Brunnadern housing estate

About the building

In park-like grounds on Brunnadernstrasse stand four parallel blocks of flats, offset from one another. They are built of exposed concrete and look like sculptures, with their cut-outs, projecting window screens and external stairs. The city's building inventory describes their character as castle-like and fortified and calls the group the main work of Brutalism in the city of Bern.

The estate was designed by the Bern practice Atelier 5, and the inventory counts it among the firm's main works. According to the inventory it was built from 1969 to 1972. The basic idea: each flat is designed like a single-family house of its own, and these different units produce the individual form of each of the four blocks. So no building is quite like another, although all are made of the same material.

According to the SOS Brutalism platform, the complex holds flats in various sizes, some office space and a pool, and the architects took special care over how shared and private zones meet. The inventory stresses that, despite their bold forms, the buildings fit unobtrusively into the existing neighbourhood. The estate covers the addresses Brunnadernstrasse 62 to 68B.

The concrete was repaired in 2002. The estate is listed as worthy of protection, its outdoor space is of heritage interest, and it is classed as a cultural property of regional importance. The houses are still lived in. According to SOS Brutalism they are in good condition but have been partly altered.

A detail for your walk: look at the cantilevered concrete screens in front of the windows, which give each building its own face.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Bauinventar der Stadt Bern: Brunnadernstrasse 62–68B · SOS Brutalism: Atelier 5, Brunnadernstrasse Houses · Wikidata: Q117428803