Building Permit Granted for New Bernese Vocational Training Center

We are delighted to announce that planning permission has been granted for the elevation, extension and conversion of the building that will house the new CEFF Artisanale school.

An ambitious project in the heart of Bienne

The 1955 building in the heart of Bienne will undergo a major transformation. Formerly used as an assembly plant by General Motors, the building is listed as worthy of preservation in the city of Bienne’s architectural inventory.

A new vocational training center

In spring 2022, the Canton of Berne has expressed its wish to integrate the CEFF Artisanal vocational training center into this existing building. As operators of space for the BBZ and SFBG schools in the same building, a project has been developed to accommodate this third school. It comprises 7,340 mÂČ of rental space, entirely dedicated to the CEFF school, with delivery scheduled for the start of the school year in September 2026.

An innovative, environmentally-friendly project

The new building will meet High Energy Performance standards and feature photovoltaic panels on the roof. The project will comply with Pronovo guidelines, and the building as a whole will benefit from the district heating network, while air conditioning will be supplied by the district cooling network, both of which come from Lake Bienne and are supplied by ESB (Energie Service Bienne).