CEFF Artisanat in Biel/Bienne: the many lives of a 1955 building

Built in 1955 for General Motors Switzerland, the building at Rue de la Gabelle 18 in Biel/Bienne has had several lives before soon housing the new premises of CEFF Artisanat.

A look back at the rich history of an industrial building that we chose to preserve and enhance.

From the General Motors plant to vocational training schools

Designed by the Biel-based firm Gebr. Bernasconi, the building originally housed a historic General Motors Switzerland assembly plant. It was listed as “worthy of preservation” in 2003. Swiss Post moved in in 2007, occupying part of the premises in the east of the building.

In 2008, West Stone, a Capvest Group company, acquired the property. Located in a mixed-use zone, in the immediate vicinity of the future campus and Biel/Bienne railway station, the building occupies a strategic position. Recognizing its true value, West Stone chose to enhance the building, which was then threatened by a federal expropriation project that would have meant its demolition to make way for a major motorway. It then carried out major works with the Biel-based architecture firm Strässler to house two schools in the western part from the start of the 2011 school year: the Technical Lycée of CFP Biel/Bienne and the École d’arts visuels.

CEFF Artisanat: a new school and enhanced spaces

Since 2022, West Stone and the Canton of Bern have been discussing a possible extension of the site to accommodate an additional school within the building. Gebert Architectes was then commissioned and submitted several options to the authorities, leading to a project to add a storey and extend the building, approved in October 2023, which respects the architecture of this emblematic building. HRS was selected by the client to carry out the project, which will comprise 6’000 m² of additional rental floor area, including about 2’500 m² in the extension and 3’500 m² in the existing building.

For more than 18 years, we have been proud to accompany the life of this building and to give it a lasting future: that of a 14’378 m² campus dedicated to training, apprenticeship and the transmission of knowledge for young people, rooted in its history and looking to the future.