Stadtbaumeistertreffen 2018: Führung Schüssinsel

Once a year Switzerland’s city building planners come together to exchange their knowledge and expertise. At the meeting in June 2018 one of the items on the agenda was a visit to the Schüssinsel. Massimo Fontana took the heads of the municipal construction and planning offices on a tour of the park island.

How a new island and therefore a valuable open public space was created in Biel in the middle of the Schüss river in the town centre, which is becoming increasingly densely built up, is of great interest, especially in light of the current topic of intra-urban development. The project is exemplary with regard to its inter-disciplinary collaboration and the planning process too. Fontana Landschaftsarchitektur brought in experts in the fields of flood protection and ecology very early on and were thereby able to incorporate their knowledge and concerns in its design. The town council exhibited flexibility and a wealth of ideas throughout the planning process, making it possible to take advantage of potential that only emerged during the process. Massimo Fontana explained the project as well as its challenges and their solutions to Switzerland’s city building planners at their annual meeting on 22 June 2018.