Personal shelter with phone booth, Modernist shelter with phone booth in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
This modernist shelter with phone booth in Biel/Bienne combines two practical functions in a single compact structure. The building displays hallmarks of early modernism: clean lines, geometric simplicity, and the absence of unnecessary decoration.
This structure was built between 1928 and 1929 during the period when Biel/Bienne was modernizing its urban spaces. In 2000, the city relocated the entire building during renovation work, moving it while preserving its original design unchanged.
The structure embodies the design principles of the modernist movement as applied to everyday public infrastructure. It reflects how cities of that era designed simple, functional spaces for citizens to use and wait.
The shelter provides weather protection for those waiting near public transport routes in the area. While the phone booth is no longer operational, visitors can easily see how this dual-purpose structure once served the community's daily needs.
This small building holds official protected status as a documented heritage site of local importance in Switzerland. It demonstrates how architects and urban planners of that era applied thoughtful design principles even to everyday structures, giving ordinary waiting spaces an enduring quality.
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