Apartment Hochhaus Fel­lergut

Take the lift to the 15th floor, and from there, cross a spa­cious com­munal area to reach flat 99 in the Fel­lergut sky­scraper in Bern-Bümpliz. Rented out through the Swiss Foun­dation Ferien im Bau­denkmal, this holiday flat – largely pre­served in its ori­ginal 1970s con­dition – offers not only an authentic insight into the archi­tec­tural culture of the period in which it was built, but also per­spec­tives for today’s urban planning.
Once a small farming village west of Bern, and from the 17th century onwards a retreat for patrician families and their estates, Bümpliz deve­loped from the mid-20th century onwards into a testing ground for new housing. In response to the pressing housing shortage fol­lowing the Second World War, the former country estates were trans­formed into large-scale housing deve­lo­p­ments. Today, these neigh­bour­hoods read like a living archive of Swiss archi­tec­tural history.
One of the towering pre­fa­bri­cated buil­dings in Bümpliz is the Fel­lergut sky­scraper, which was built in 1972 as part of the last major housing deve­lo­pment on the site of the former Fel­lergut estate and embodies the visionary spirit of its era. Situated directly on the Stadtbach, nestled within a Baroque garden and opposite the Old Bümpliz Castle, the 20-storey tower block – designed by the Bernese architect couple Hans and Gret Reinhard – com­bines func­tional infra­structure with social living comfort, fea­turing a shared roof terrace. In doing so, it follows Le Corbusier’s ‘Rue Inté­rieure’ concept, which pro­motes com­mu­ni­cation and inter­action among resi­dents through hori­zontal con­nec­tions.
The flat itself is designed as a duplex: from the ent­rance area on the 15th floor, which adjoins a first single bedroom, an internal staircase leads down to the main living area on the 14th floor. Here there are two further east-facing bed­rooms bathed in morning sun, a bathroom, and a west-facing living room with an open-plan kitchen, dining area and a balcony offering spec­ta­cular views stret­ching as far as the Bernese Alps.
In 2023, the artist Florian Dombois bought the apartment, reno­vated it with minimal inter­vention and, in the design, com­bined ori­ginal fur­niture and fea­tures with con­tem­porary objects of his own design that reinterpret the spirit of the 1970s. Fur­thermore, the east-west ori­en­tation creates a unique play of light, which is further enhanced by per­fo­rated curtains.

What to do

The neighbourhood offers a multi-faceted architectural landscape as well as numerous destinations for nature and culture lovers – from well-known attractions (e.g. the Zentrum Paul Klee, the Rosengarten City Park or Bern’s Old Town) to local recreational areas (e.g. Bremgarten with its forests and the River Aare) and a wide range of leisure activities; the Weyermannshaus outdoor swimming pool and other sports and recreational facilities are within walking distance, and Bern can be reached in around 5 minutes by public transport

Why we like this house


An exclusive glimpse into the lifestyle of the 1970s – and an inspiring reminder of just how relevant those ideas still are today.

This house is great for


Fans of 1970s architecture, skyscraper enthusiasts, couples, families and city breakers; dogs are not permitted

Sustainability

High occupancy density, affordable housing within the existing stock, social diversity and integration into neighbourhood life, system efficiency through high-rise construction, integrated into the urban energy and heating infrastructure, public transport: Bümpliz Nord station, a 2-minute walk from there

Details

Availability calendar

The calendar shows the current availability of the accommodation. On days with white background the accommodation is still available. On days with dark gray background the accommodation is not available.

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