Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre

The Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre, on the outskirts of Bern, Switzerland, is a multi-use facility with shops, restaurants, a swimming pool, conference spaces, residences, a hotel, fitness centres, and a cinema. It was designed by international architect Daniel Libeskind and completed in October 2008.
Despite its location west of the city, in Brünnen-Bern, Westside is urban in scale. According to Studio Daniel Libeskind’s website, the site brings “together the dimensions of commerce, culture and leisure." Positioned over a motorway, the centre overlooks an S-Bahn station and acts as a gateway to Bern. The complex is crystalline in structure; a steel concrete skeleton supports the centre’s wood façade.