Piano’s in-depth involvement with the task in hand and the terrain ultimately led to the idea of transforming the land on the eastern outskirts of Bern into an island of green, creating a remote and mysterious location. And on this “island” the Zentrum Paul Klee rises in the form of three undulations blending into the landscape. It forms a harmonious landscape sculpture, its constituent parts creating the Zentrum.

The three hills are part of the concept of “nature harnessed” yet they remain highly functional and contemporary art structures. As such they must comply with the exacting structural requirements of a cultural establishment with a multitude of vocations, and while their presence should remain modest it should nonetheless be self-confident in fulfilling its function.

The three hills create natural partitions that mirror the substantive program; inside the building they are connected by a 150 metre thoroughfare known as the Museum Street. It forms the north-south axis of the Zentrum Paul Klee and runs parallel with the motorway. The Museum Street is the backbone of the project’s development, the main artery that sustains communications within, and as such the aesthetic and functional counterpart of the motorway without.