Reconstruction of the New Station Square in Berne, Switzerland

The station square in Berne with its underground passage was built in 1972, it included major city roads, various tramways and bus lines and many local businesses. Apart from insufficient structural safety and durability, the appearance of this gate to Berne was inappropriate for the capital of Switzerland. The reconstruction executed in 2007 covers an area of 40’000 m². In the main element, which is called the Christoffel-Passage, parts of concrete slabs and columns were dismantled, new concrete members added and existing ones strengthened. The ceiling was strengthened against punching shear with the newly developed strengthening method of post-installed inclined bonded bars. Furthermore, the local transportation stops, the underground shopping centre and the flow of pedestrians were optimized. The project New Station Square not only rehabilitates the existing structures, but creates an appealing entrance next to the Old City of Berne (Unesco World Heritage).