Westside

Opened in October 2008 after a mere 40-month construction period, the Westside acts as the heart of Bern’s Brünnen district and represents a total investment of some 500 million Swiss francs. Neue Brünnen AG, a subsidiary of the Migros Aare cooperative, is the developer behind this project, which creates space for around 2700 residents on adjacent plots in addition to the retail outlets. From the very beginning, Westside and Bern Brünnen have represented superlative projects for the federal city. As a new landmark for Bern, Westside offers a wide range of shops and restaurants, eleven cinemas, a hotel and the stunning 2000 m2 Bernaqua water park and spa. It is also characterised by the idiosyncratic design of star architect Daniel Libeskind.

Access: complexity as a starting point

The enormous scale of the construction project and the various planned uses with variable opening hours called for a sophisticated security and locking-up concept. During the construction phase, it was necessary to ensure the comprehensive security of the workers, expensive construction equipment and the infrastructure that was gradually emerging. For example, since Westside’s opening, the hotel has offered a 24-hour service, while the retail area and parts of the catering area are frequented day and in the evenings, while the cinema, bars and water park are heavily frequented in the evenings, at night and on weekends. The entire communication and security system therefore had to be networked and centrally monitored – comprehensive responsibility for the security of visitors, employees and hotel guests, which we were happy to take on. The biggest challenges during Westside’s construction were the extensive and constant changes to the site, the specific requirements of the clients and architect, and the usual blizzard of work shortly before completion. Thanks to the combined efforts of our regional offices and support of partner companies, we were able to complete this mammoth task in full.

Round-the-clock security partnership.

This included the installation of a fire alarm system in the basic fit-out and on the tenants’ premises. Some of the 5300-plus fire detectors had to be installed in such a way that they corresponded to Daniel Libeskind’s architecture – invisible and integrated. As parts of the building are occupied by multiple users running their own businesses, the system was designed autonomously so that each user has their “own” system which is nevertheless linked to the others. The video security system was designed for maximum flexibility, enabling decentralised monitoring of each of the areas. The cameras were in brought in service before the opening to support the work of the security services during the increased pace of construction as the project neared completion. In terms of access control, a comprehensive access and locking-up concept with corresponding escape route technology was developed in collaboration with partner companies in line with the client’s requirements. Rounding off the technical security network in Westside is our SecuriLink security management system, which enables all alarms to be displayed centrally.