Department of Contemporary Art in the Museum of Fine Arts Bern - The building extension becomes a reality

Museum of Fine Arts Bern
Hodlerstrasse 12
3000 Bern 7
Tel: +41 31 311 09 44
Fax: +41 31 328 09 55
www.kunstmuseumbern.ch

For reasons of historic conservation, the winning project of the competition could not be authorized. The foundation of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern therefore applied to the municipal historic conservation authorities for an examination of all five projects ranked by the jury. The project SCALA, placed second, by the architects Nicola Baserga and Christian Mozzetti was judged very positively with a view to its chances for authorization. In consequence, the foundation council of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern, in agreement with the foundation council of the foundation GegenwART, have commissioned a task force for the further development of the SCALA competition application. In collaboration with the architects, SCALA has been reworked taking user requirements and all cost optimizations into account.

The feasibility of SCALA has been proved. The foundation of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern and the foundation GegenwART under the patronage of Dr. h.c. Hansjörg Wyss have decided to submit the general planning application. Based on reliable preliminary investigations the principals are assured that no objections will be raised which would constitute a categorical challenge to the project. A precise calculation of costs has shown that the original financial framework of CHF 12 million originally proposed for the annex by the foundation GegenwART can not be complied with. This is particularly due to the costs for the underground construction and engineering. Estimated costs are now CHF 16 million (CHF 17.5 million respectively based on an estimation incertitude of +/- 10%). A further examined variation estimated at CHF 12 million would not fulfil the requirements of the Museum and will not be followed up. On April 21, 2008, the foundation council of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern decided to realize the SCALA project as per the reworked variant. The main burden of costs amounting to CHF 12 million will be born by the foundation GegenwART of Dr. h.c. Hansjörg Wyss. The foundation council of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern is confident that it will be possible to raise the necessary remainder elsewhere. Applications have been made and various promising negotiations have been entered into with diverse institutions and private persons.

Time scale:

Submission of general planning application:
August 2008 (application processing approx. 6 months)

General planning permission:
February/March 2009 (followed by design planning 1 year)

Start of construction:
February/March 2010 (construction period 2 years)

End of construction:
February/March 2012

Opening:
April/May/June 2012