City of Biel Begins Construction on New Sports Center with Multi-Sport Halls

Teaser image source: PD

The city of Biel is building a new sports center with several halls in Bözingerfeld for around 26.6 million francs. Construction work will start next Monday. From 2025, the all-wood construction should be available for training and competitions.

Those: PD

Visualization of the hall complex on the Bözingenfeld in Biel.

The project will create two halls for inline hockey, a climbing hall for the Swiss Alpine Club SAC and a triple gymnasium that will serve as a performance center for gymnasts. The halls are also used by secondary school students.

In September 2026, the people of Biel approved a loan of CHF 26.6 million for the new sports center. The planning application was submitted three months later. Construction work will now begin on August 14, as the city of Biel announced on Friday.

Pure wood construction

The multi-sport halls are realized as a pure timber construction. Therefore, the ground-breaking ceremony will not be specially celebrated, it is said. Next November, however, the setting of the first wooden element, the so-called “first wood”, will be celebrated with all those involved in the project.

The construction program provides for the concrete floor slab for the wooden element construction to be completed in November 2023. Completion of construction is scheduled for the end of November 2024. The new multi-sport halls should be available to athletes for training and competitions from 2025. (mgt/pb)