Presentation of the School of Architecture, Wood and Civil (BFH-AHB)
Natural and sustainable building
We are experts in sustainable construction. As such, we take responsibility for our living space and are strongly committed to national and global sustainability goals.
Our projects encompass a wide range of topics, from infrastructure construction, timber construction, digital construction, urban development and architecture to bio-based building materials. This diversity allows us to design the built environment in a transdisciplinary and integrated manner and to shape it in terms of sustainability, with the future in mind.
We rely on renewable raw materials and circular approaches. Thanks to our many years of expertise in wood, we are a national leader in the fields of education and applied research and have gained a solid international recognition. Our entrepreneurial mindset and action are reflected in our work with students, researchers and lecturers. Together with our practice partners, we develop innovations to promote a sustainable building culture and thus achieve an impact for the benefit of society.
Five institutes
We have an integrated approach to planning and construction: with our vision of a sustainable construction industry, we comprehensively cover all concerns, from the materials, the building and the built environment to the company and its processes.
Range of services
Our education and continuing education programmes, our research projects and our wide range of consulting services help strengthen the timber and construction industry and contribute to a sustainable future.
Organisation
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- Organigramme BFH-AHB
Advisory Board
The members of the Advisory Board are a valuable driving force on strategic issues. They advise the school on important matters relating to studies, research & development, and consulting services, and act as BFH-AHB ambassadors, building connections outside of our school.
- Marlen Bigler, Marti AG Bern, board member SIA, Bern section
- Claudia Binder, Professorin EPFL
- Luca Föhn, Borm-Informatik AG, President of Swiss Timber Engineers
- Pirmin Jung, PIRMIN JUNG Schweiz AG, President of Lignum Holzwirtschaft Zentralschweiz
- Oliver Martin, Head of the Baukultur Section, Federal Office of Culture
- Corinna Menn, Architektin Zürich/Chur
- Johannes Senn, Managing Director at Senn Resources AG
- Thomas Wehrle, CTO ERNE AG Holzbau
School board
Chair
Members
Institut für Infrastruktur und Umwelt (IIU)
Institut für Siedlung, Architektur und Konstruktion (ISAK)
Institut für Holzbau (IHB)
Institut Baustoffe und biobasierte Materialien (IBbM)
Institut für digitale Bau- und Holzwirtschaft (IdBH)
Affiliated school:
Higher Technical School of Wood Biel
Teaching and Continuing Education Office
Research and Consulting Services Office
Representative of the lecturers
Representative for mid-level academic staff and specialised personnel
Head of Communication
Vision and Guiding Principles
The Vision and Guiding Principles of our school point out the values that guide our actions and form the foundation of our activities.
Our vision
“We are pioneers in sustainable construction. We rely on collective intelligence, merge education, research and innovation in the real-world laboratory, think in cycles and thus take responsibility for our living space.”
Our Guiding Principles:
- In addition to imparting knowledge, our teaching fosters the development of competencies and is a catalyst for personal development.
- We learn from each other and embody a culture of togetherness.
- We work together with a pioneering spirit in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams.
- BFH-AHB is a place of encounter and dialogue.
- We analyse, experiment and implement in iterative processes.
- We root our activities in teaching, research, continuing education and services in cycles.
- We focus on research-based and project-oriented teaching in teams.
- We promote sustainable entrepreneurial thinking and action.
- We are mindful of all resources.
- We live and foster social and cultural diversity and promote equal opportunities.
- We are actively and exemplarily engaged in the well-being of society.
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History
2024
The School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering of Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH repositions itself and takes responsibility for sustainably designed and future-proof living spaces. Five new institutes are created. The aim is for sustainable construction to become standard practice.
2005
Introduction of the Bologna Reform with bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
2003
Merger of HTA-Burgdorf, HTA-Bern, HTA-Biel and SH Holz Biel with the civil engineers in Burgdorf to form the Department of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering of Bern University of Applied Sciences (now called the School of Architecture, Wood and Civil Engineering).
1997
HTL Burgdorf and HTL Biel become a university of applied sciences.
1974
Introduction of the HTL Engineer title for prospective civil and wood engineers.
1952
Foundation of the School of Woodworking (Schweizerische Holzfachschule) in Biel.
1892
Foundation of the Cantonal Technical Centre for Civil Engineers (Technikum) in Burgdorf.
