Intercantonal forestry school and education centre, Lyss BE
Wood on wood
With the exception of the concrete base which is 160 metres in length, the entire three-storey forestry school is made of wood. In the 1990s this represented a pioneering architectural feat.
Originally the building was conceived as having a concrete skeleton but it was then built entirely of wood - in the course of which novel ways of achieving timber joints were developed.
The agenda of exploring the limits of wood as a contemporary building material was complemented by the desire to create an ecological model: all the wood comes from Switzerland, and it is second-class material which is available in abundance. A building shell optimised for energy efficiency, woodchip heating, heat recovery, solar power and water retention complete the programme.
The four adjoining, cube-shaped wooden buildings form part of the boarding school.
Year | 1997 |
Contact person | Christoph Arpagaus |
Client | Foundation Inter-cantonal Foresters College |
Architect / General planner | Itten+Brechbühl AG |
Competition | 1st prize 1991 |
Start of construction | 1994 |
Start of operation | 1997 |
Floor area | 12 000 m2 |
Construction volume | 46 000 m3 |
Awards | SIB Architecture Award |
Prize | Nature & Economics Award |
Photos | Hans Ege, Luzern Georg Aerni, Zurich |