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Building age in Biel/Bienne

Municipality in the canton of Bern · FSO no. 371

Building register (GWR) export of September 2026, parcel data of July 2025.

Key figures

Parcels with a building
6’076
5’888 of them with a known construction year
Median construction year
1953Canton: 1975Switzerland: 1976
Median building age
73 yearsCanton: 51 yearsSwitzerland: 50 years
Built 1960 or earlier
66.1%Canton: 36.6%Switzerland: 32.5%
Built after 2000
8.0%Canton: 18.9%Switzerland: 23.3%

About the building stock in Biel/Bienne

The parcel data lists 6’076 parcels with a building in Biel/Bienne. For 5’888 of them (96.9%) the federal building register (GWR) gives a construction year, taken from the newest building on the parcel. The median construction year is 1953, so the median parcel with a building is 73 years old. 66.1% of the parcels with a known year were built in 1960 or earlier and 8.0% after 2000. The largest period is 1920-1945 with 25.3%. For comparison, the median construction year is 1975 in the canton of Bern and 1976 in Switzerland. 188 parcels with a building have no usable construction year and are left out of the shares.

Construction-year histogram

Parcels with a building by construction period, as a share of the 5’888 parcels with a known year. The periods are not equally long, so read the bars as shares of the stock, not as building activity per year.

  1. 19.1%before 1920: 19.1%, 1’125 parcels
  2. 25.3%1920-1945: 25.3%, 1’489 parcels
  3. 21.7%1946-1960: 21.7%, 1’280 parcels
  4. 15.0%1961-1980: 15.0%, 886 parcels
  5. 10.8%1981-2000: 10.8%, 636 parcels
  6. 4.7%2001-2010: 4.7%, 274 parcels
  7. 2.4%2011-2020: 2.4%, 141 parcels
  8. 1.0%2021 and later: 1.0%, 57 parcels

Building age distribution

The same parcels grouped by the age of their newest building in 2026.

  • 66 years or older (built 1960 or earlier)66.1%3’894 parcels
  • 46 to 65 years (built 1961-1980)15.0%886 parcels
  • 26 to 45 years (built 1981-2000)10.8%636 parcels
  • Up to 25 years (built 2001 or later)8.0%472 parcels

How to read these figures

The parcel data links every parcel to the federal building register (GWR). A parcel counts once, with the construction year of its newest building. Where the register gives only a construction period, the middle of the period is used.

The figures count parcels with a building, not individual buildings. A parcel with several buildings counts once, and a parcel without a building is not counted.

Building age is 2026 minus the construction year. Every share divides by the parcels with a known construction year.

See it on the map

roots colors every parcel by construction year, from deep red for the oldest buildings to pale cream for the newest.

Open the roots map in Biel/Bienne

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