Penzel Valier Receives the Silver A' Design Award for Tramdepot Bern Infrastructure in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

The Work

Project

Tramdepot Bern Infrastructure

Function

Infrastructure

Category

Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Discipline

Spatial Design

Industry

Architecture

Colors

Dark Slate Gray, Light Steel Blue, Light Blue, Dim Gray and Light Slate Gray

Images

5

The Recognition

Laureate

Penzel Valier

Country

Switzerland

Recognition

Silver A' Design Award

Edition

2025 - 2026

Design ID

#181947

Credits

Team

Christian Penzel, Martin Valier, Niklaus Lohri, Tobias Schaer, Gino Guntli, Christel Erdmenger, Leonore Daum, Reto Eberli, Ralf Gartmann, Claudia Loewe, Maic Neurauter and Jaffar Sabbah and others

Image Credits

Images: Dominique Uldry Video: Dominic Büttner

Design Details

Unique Properties

The external appearance of the hall is characterised by the lightness of the glass-aluminium shell. The use of white glass, the special surface structure and the staggered installation method (halved grid) result in a changing expression depending on the light. In grazing light, the white colour of the glass and the matt shimmer of the surface create a proximity to the bare aluminium sheets, giving the building a three dimensional expression.

Inspiration

At night, the building is transformed into a light, bright lantern. Inside, the light falls in according to the rhythm of the shed glazing, sometimes directly, sometimes in multiple reflections in the spaces between the schedules, thereby modulating the atmosphere in the hall. The colour scheme in anthracite (graphite coating of the wood) and black (steel) creates a calm background against which the light sets the scene for the parked vehicles.

Research

The expansion of the tram depot in three stages was already included in the design for the 2007 competition. This requirement necessitated intensive research and planning efforts. Penzel Valier's planning work therefore began directly with an optimisation process: the track system was condensed, the oblique perimeter was incorporated into the supporting structure and outer form, and the volume of the hall was reduced. An open dialogue between the client Bernmobil and the general planner accompanied the planning and implementation and ultimately led to the ideal result.

Challenge

For the Bern tram depot, we proposed the principle of an extensible structure for the optimum utilization of the narrow plot with its sharp irregular angles. Here the structural system is sized to allow a step-by-step column-free expansion of the depot. For the extension, the existing façade facing Bolligenstrasse was demolished and the materials separated and recycled. Temporary steel supports and a wooden wall ensured the functional usability of the hall during the two-year construction period. The upper and lower chords of the shed trusses are connected with steel purlins in the longitudinal direction to form a hall.

Realization and Technology

The expansion of the streetcar depot was conceived in several stages as early as the 2007 competition. With the expansion of the city‘s streetcar network, a denser timetable and new, longer streetcars, the need for depot capacity increased. Ten years after completion of the first stage, construction work therefore began on the second stage. This consists of expanding the depot from seven to a total of 15 sidings in the direction of Bolligenstrasse. In a third stage - not yet scheduled - an extension of eight workshop tracks is planned. The extension will increase the span in the stabling area from 45 to 72 meters and in the workshop area from 68 to 95 meters.

Operation and Interaction

Tram depot with service and maintenance area, bridge over freeway (1st stage), extension (2nd stage), additional workshop and maintenance facilities (3rd stage) The expansion of the streetcar depot was conceived in several stages as early as the 2007 competition. With the expansion of the city‘s streetcar network, a denser timetable and new, longer streetcars, the need for depot capacity increased.

Project Duration and Location

2008-2011 (1st stage), 2019-2023 (2nd stage) Bolligenstrasse 58, 3006 Bern

Specifications

The extensive glazing in the truss levels of the beams and in the façades also ensures optimum lighting conditions and allows the hall to be operated without a heating system thanks to the solar radiation. To prevent overheating in summer, the SHEV flaps in the lower façade area (supply air) and in the high sheds (exhaust air) can be opened for night-time cooling. Rainwater is directed from the roof into the side gutters via the sloping surfaces of the longitudinal façades, from where it is fed into the washing system. A 3,600 m2 photovoltaic system on the sloping roof surfaces complements the building‘s sustainability claim.

Keywords

Engeneering Architecture, Strip-shaped hall, Glass-aluminium shell, Extensible structure, Lightness, Structural system, Translucent façade