Architect Nik Liechti knows his city like no other. With the “Biel Haus Index”, he has developed a subjective rating for properties in the city centre, because he is convinced that the perception of these properties bears a great deal of responsibility for the attractiveness of the city centre. We talked to him about a new mobility concept, the state of Biel’s city centre and life on the waterfront.
Our vision may have a high altitude, but we consider it very realistic in terms of feasibility if politics, business and the population really want to make a difference. You helped design Expo02, which was also born out of a vision. How important are such visions for the development of a city?
The fact that visions can help a city to develop was well seen in the example of Expo02. It roused Biel out of its lethargy. Before, there was a strange depression in this city, a standstill. Thanks to the Expo, a motorway connection was built and industry became aware of our location on the language border. A dynamic developed from which Biel is still benefiting today. Private individuals also renovated their houses because no one wanted to give a bad image.
What is your assessment a few years after the Expo? What was missed, where was Biel able to profit?
The cultural momentum of Expo02 with its buildings and projects on the lakeshore was unfortunately missed. Since then there has been a sad wasteland on the lake, but overall the city has benefited enormously. That is why visionary projects are enormously important. Large cities, for example, need a world-class event every 10 years. That way they can update the infrastructure. Especially European cities. Barcelona is a classic example because the city gained access to the sea thanks to the Olympic Games. This resulted in the upgrading of the entire port area. Without such an event, there is no money and no popular support. In Biel, too, many a project to upgrade the city centre became possible thanks to the Expo. But this unique drive was hardly taken up by the authorities. All proposals for the continued use of content or projects were shot down. It is always this fear of change that is incomprehensible.
Now changes are needed in the city centre. What possibilities do you see to bring it back to life and make it attractive?
The lead for attractive urban development lies with the public sector. It should provide the initial impetus and make efforts to upgrade the public space in a concrete, lasting and sustainable way and to set impulses. Especially with the conversion of their own buildings and real estate. If the public sector sets a good example, the private sector must react. A good example is Europaallee in Zurich. Formerly a closed-off industrial zone, it is now a vibrant urban area with an ideal mix of attractive shops and original gastronomy. If the loading areas in this newly developed zone had only been given to international chain shops, we wouldn’t be talking about it here today. The same applies to the “Viadukt” area in Zurich, with its small, local shops. The private property owners should be held responsible, which is completely lacking in Biel. You have to show them which model makes sense in the long run.
Why does the situation in Biel seem so gridlocked?
The problem is that most property owners in Biel’s city centre no longer take care of their buildings. 100 years ago, people would have been ashamed of a trashed façade. Because everyone knew who owned the house. This situation has changed completely. That’s why my office designed the Biel House Index. It is a subjective perception of the condition of the buildings in the city centre. We mark the buildings with numbers from -4 to 2 and thus evaluate the external condition of the respective property as one perceives it as a passer-by. Houses with a rating of -4 should be demolished, the top rating of 2 would be ideal for a city centre. I also asked the authorities if they could give us the names of the owners of these buildings. After some hesitation and persuasion on our part, we received the names. It turns out that many property owners, quite well-to-do, live in better areas of the city or the region and hardly care about their buildings in the city anymore. They are often content to accept any discount shops or dubious companies as tenants. This development spells doom for an inner city. One must encourage the property owners to commit themselves to the city. Politicians’ hands are tied in this case. A visionary initiative, a movement must emerge so that it becomes inevitable for these property owners to help shape an attractive city centre.
Wouldn’t one have to actively approach these property owners?
The only way would be transparency, like 100 years ago. You would have to put the names of the owners on the house index. That way you would know which house belongs to whom and discreetly ask them to take action. The perfidious thing is that some of them pretend to be promoters of art and culture, but in reality they are bleeding their own city dry. No one should be able to hide any more, but there must be an appropriate discussion and a movement.
You mentioned that the city’s hands are tied. But in what way could it nevertheless contribute to making it more attractive?
Of course, it would be ideal if the municipal land were given away under building law, but that is no longer possible in the city centre. Then the land would belong to the public sector and it could actively determine what happens to it. In addition, it can control the rents. These are still far too expensive. Attractive shops have no chance of renting in the city centre. And without such shops or the attractive mix we see in Europaallee, a city centre cannot revive. This pop-up idea is also very important, that you can temporarily rent a shop that breaks through the old structures and creates an attractive offer. This is already partly the case in Biel’s old town. Also because the area has been made more attractive through various measures, also by private individuals, and the rents are affordable. This has to change in the city centre. And I hope it will happen soon. The fact that the property owner can finance his building with the shop on the ground floor no longer works today.
And what can private individuals do, shop owners, small entrepreneurs?
To dare to do something, to take risks. Every project brings new ideas, new possibilities. The important thing is to try something new, to dare to do something. This “try and error” mentality must be encouraged again. In the old town, several such projects have proved successful, such as the chocolatier, the cheese shop and many others. But as mentioned, the problem is the rent of the shops in the city centre. Therefore, transparency should be created and the property owners should be held accountable.
Specifically, where could the city now set a good example?
There is a very interesting building in the city that would actually be predestined for conversion: the control building on Zentralplatz. This would be a lighthouse project and would get things moving. Imagine if the ground floor and the first floor were converted and made accessible to the public. Historically, the building was the precious metal control centre for the watch industry. That’s why it’s such a powerful, magnificent building. All you would have to do is take out the strange mezzanine floor that was built in the 1970s. That way you would have a five-metre-high entrance hall, right on the central square, with a terrace and a water feature. Something could be created there.
The gondola lift is the centrepiece of our vision, which is to enable the city to redevelop and network itself, among other things. What do you think of this idea?
In Biel, it makes sense to think in terms of height. Because three metres down there is already groundwater, no rock, no solid ground, nothing. Everything you build literally sinks. This means that underground building hardly makes sense in Biel. If you look at this aspect, the solution is probably really up in the air. I also think that a new system should be found for the many buses in the city centre. The current situation hardly fits any more. Also because the catenary system takes up a lot of space and makes the buses very inflexible. Therefore, a new solution in our city makes sense. This brings to mind the Solothurn architect Fritz Haller, who developed everything from furniture to urban planning to space travel. Many years ago he did a study under the name “Biel 2000”, commissioned by the city. Among other ideas and visions, this study also included an elevated and suspended railway over the Schüss.
Would it be feasible in Biel to ban private traffic and buses from the city centre so that new living space can be created for the public?
If you take the cars out of the centre, of course you need a different development concept. But you have a corresponding proposal with the gondolas and the associated public transport routes. I have an idea that has already been implemented in numerous cities around the world: Convert vacant buildings on the outskirts of the city into multi-storey car parks. This would relieve the inner city. It would also be a profitable model and would offer the opportunity to make these buildings externally attractive, for example through art on the building. You have to bring people back into the city centre. Without them having to stand in traffic jams and look for parking spaces. That’s the only way to keep up with what the shopping centres have to offer.
In our vision, the hub of the gondola lift is at the station. Does that make sense?
Absolutely, the cable car should start from the station. This already serves as a public transport hub, has the highest frequency and also offers a park & ride. As soon as the Innovation Park is built, the area around Robert-Walser-Platz will also be upgraded. At least I hope so. A kind of avenue would have to be created there, also with the intention of making the lake more accessible. In my opinion, a large park-like area should be created in the area of the Schlosspark, Dispo and Expo grounds so that the lake is connected to the Schloss. Between this park and the station, an interesting urban zone is developing with the campus, with a better connection from the station to the lake. The cable car hub would also fit in perfectly there. I find your proposal with the direct connection to the Tissot Arena ideal, so we have an attractive, fast and ecological transport solution. The cable car would fit perfectly in the industrial district of Bözingen anyway.
Urban transport in Biel needs new solutions, how do you assess the current situation?
In terms of transport, Biel has always been badly treated by the canton. A cantonal capital would hardly be expected to do this kind of traffic planning. On the one hand, there is the Aarbergstrasse, over which all traffic between Bern and Neuchâtel travels. Then we have the railway embankment, which leads into the Jura and cuts the city off from the lake. It is important to know, however, that this dam was originally built to protect the town against flooding. This is now history and at the “Viaduct” in Zurich you can see what could be created from it. There has to be a continuity, a new attractiveness. This access to the lake should definitely be achieved.
The “Agglolac” development should have been an access to the lake, but was recently politically buried by the neighbouring towns of Biel and Nidau. Would a similar development make sense? Biel is already a lakeside city with numerous watercourses running through the city.
That is correct. Before planning or even building such a development, a park-like facility for public use should be considered and discussed for the former Expo site on the lake. A kind of Central Park, where events and sports activities would also be possible. On the other hand, the potential of the city centre, i.e. the existing waterways, could be better used. The upper course of the Schüss near the old town, for example, which runs under the canal alley, is completely covered. It could be uncovered. But the city is having a hard time with this, and various projects to this end have failed in the past. Partly because of private resistance and corresponding ownership. The lower course of the Schüss, in the area of the Schnyder site, is also covered or at least so obstructed that it is no longer visible. If you don’t actively look for these watercourses, you won’t see them. Although they run right through the city. These three arms of the Schüss alone have immense potential for recreational areas in the urban space. One would only have to give them a greater presence or free them up.
What about the open watercourses that cannot be experienced in Biel? Could they also be redesigned and made accessible to the population, as is the case with the Schüssinsel?
Unfortunately, I don’t see any possibility. The canton will reject such projects because of the flood situation. However, the Schüsspark is a good example of what an inner city on the water can look like. The water has become a much more tangible part of the cityscape. Even if this is not structurally possible at the Upper and Lower Quai, these two areas could be made more attractive. For example, several years ago we suggested, together with a French lighting designer, that the watercourse should be illuminated so that it can be perceived. Lighting urban zones at night has enormous potential. And it would significantly upgrade the unattractive urban lighting. Another measure would be the removal of parking spaces along the Schüss in order to use this space differently, more attractively, in the sense of the population. These measures could also be financed. However, the greatest unused potential for summer bathing fun would be on the Aare near Nidau. Although it is full of water sports enthusiasts, rubber boats, etc. in summer, both banks are almost completely privatised by the boating areas.
Which urban areas could also be developed?
In general, Biel has a lot of industrial areas and undeveloped zones such as the goods station, which offer enormous development potential. You could create urban situations, promote the mixing of the population and cultures. Developing these areas would be very interesting and would create new, attractive living space. In addition, this also makes more sense than building up vacant areas by the lake. The Bözingenfeld also has enormous development potential as an industrial area. Thousands of jobs will be created there over the next few years. And the Tissot Arena has a nationwide impact. I think a cable car hub at the stadium with various connections would be very interesting. Today, hardly anyone goes there to eat or to go out, to the cinema, etc. The cable car, which will be open during breaks, would be a great help. With the cable car, which runs continuously, this situation could change. This would also offer the Tissot Arena a new opportunity. So, in a way, the cable car would be a booster for the further development of the area with the creation of new jobs. I therefore support the creation of a vision that points to the future. It would be desirable that the city and the industry support such ideas.
