BäreTower – high-rise residential building protection by Securiton
Standing at 100.6 metres in height, Bern Cathedral has been the tallest building in Bern and the surrounding area for many centuries. The 1970s and 1980s saw it receive some competition from office and residential complexes in the outer districts, but it continued to reign supreme. One of the tallest high-rise residential buildings in Switzerland, the BäreTower in Ostermundigen was inaugurated at the end of 2022 within sight of the cathedral. Its height of exactly 100 metres comes very close to matching that of Bern’s long-standing landmark. The up-to-the-minute slender building benefits from the best possible protection in the form of a comprehensive fire alarm system from Securiton.
Residential buildings rising to heights of 100 metres and more are rare in Switzerland – as are high-rise buildings in the city of Bern and the surrounding area. However, the old, unwritten convention that no building in the city of Bern may be taller than the cathedral will cease to be observed in the next few years. That said, compared to other Swiss cities, the high-rise buildings being contemplated in the region are still very modest. Energy supplier ewb is currently planning a high-rise building with a height of 110 metres in Ausserholligen, which would exceed the cathedral by 10 metres.
BäreTower – highest residential building in the canton
Completed in 2022, the BäreTower in Ostermundigen comes very close to the height of the cathedral – the high-rise in the Bernese suburb is just 60 centimetres shorter. The slender 32-storey edifice accommodates 152 apartments, while the lower plinth section and a free-standing cube are home to bars and restaurants, retail outlets, a hotel, office space and service facilities. Completing the offer is a panorama restaurant on the 9th floor.
Comprehensive fire protection
The building’s owner, insurer Helvetia, commissioned Securiton AG to equip it with an advanced fire alarm system. The SecuriFire system is just the thing for buildings of this size. Its three control panels monitor the 32-storey high-rise around the clock by analysing incoming data from the numerous fire detectors installed. 640 SecuriStar MCD 573X multiple sensor detectors sniff out any unusual heat sources and smoke particles. 135 additional SecuriStar MCD 573X-S devices combine the benefits of smoke and heat detection with an acoustic alarm. Rounding off the Securiton fire alarm system in the BäreTower are numerous manual call points for manually setting off a fire alarm.
