Libeskind's £250m Westside centre opens in Bern
by Luke Tuchscherer | 03 Nov 2008
The £250m Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre has opened in Bern, Switzerland.
Designed by New York-based architect Daniel Libeskind, the new complex boasts 55 shops, 10 restaurants and bars, a 144-room hotel, a multiplex cinema, a fitness centre and a fun pool.
Libeskind’s concept was to “create a public space with day and night facilities, a self-enclosed district offering endless amenities and services, almost like a city within a city”.
The Bernaqua Fun Bath boasts a one of the largest leisure pools in Switzerland and features a whirlpool, a Roman-Irish bath, a meditation pool with underwater music and an outdoor solar pool, as well as waterslides and a whitewater canyon. Bernaqua’s fitness centre has a gym and separate studios for aerobics, gymnastics and spinning.
The hotel, named the Holiday Inn Westside, has 11 seminar rooms and a brasserie.
The multiplex cinema is operated by Pathe Switzerland, which runs a total of 60 screens in the country.
Westside was developed by the Migros Aare cooperative and 3.5 million visitors are expected every year.
The £250m Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre has opened in Bern, Switzerland. Designed by New York-based architect Daniel Libeskind, the new complex boasts 55 shops, 10 restaurants and bars, a 144-room hotel, a multiplex cinema, a fitness centre and a fun pool. Libeskind’s concept was to “create a public space with day and night facilities, a self-enclosed district offering endless amenities and services, almost like a city within a city”.
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