Biel: New Jakob quarter becomes more concrete
A new residential quarter is to be built in Biel-Mett. The planning application for the new Jakob quarter will be submitted to the public shortly and construction of the first stage is scheduled to start in a year's time.
In the east of Biel-Mett, the new Jakob-Quartier is being built on a former commercial site on Jakob-Strasse Süd. The city, which is realizing the project together with Bricks AG, wants to promote a social mix with a variety of housing types: Various types and sizes of housing are planned, including rental apartments, terraced single-family homes, condominiums and age-appropriate apartments, according to the city of Biel. A daycare center and spaces for creative uses, such as studios, are also planned. The heart of the new district will be a public park the size of two football pitches.
The plans for the project date back to 2016, when the city carried out an urban planning study commission together with the landowners. In 2022, Bricks carried out an architectural study commission by invitation and, together with the city of Biel, a public landscape architecture study commission. It was won by Blättler Heinzer Architektur and Brügger Architekten und Schmid Landschaftsarchitektur. Bricks is responsible for the development of the building plots, while the park will be realized together with the City of Biel as the landowner within the development perimeter.
The planning application for the first stage will be submitted at the end of January. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2025 and be completed in 2028. (ah)
