Berit Clinic

A new top address in the Appenzell region

The new Berit Paracelsus Clinic, opened in 2016, is located in the village of Speicher (AR) on a hill, rich in history, at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres above sea level. As one of the top addresses in Switzerland for orthopaedics and spine surgery, the Clinic of Eastern Switzerland is regarded as a leader for interventions and rehabilitation of the locomotor apparatus. Over the course of its expansion, the Berit Paracelsus Clinic decided to build a new clinic in Teufen (AR) to replace its former location. A small clinic campus was developed in 2016 and 2017 with Dr Gerhard Stiegler's ophthalmic clinic right next door. Both projects were realised by HRS.

Appenzell tradition in construction

The architects have nestled the six-storey new building on a historic site. The window bands, interrupted on the upper floors by wooden cladding, are a typical feature of the Appenzell architectural style. Looking out onto the rolling Appenzell hills, the windows actually look like picture frames. When it came to choosing the materials, the principle was to create a hotel with medical services - not vice-versa, a hospital with hotel facilities. The colours and materials are rather reminiscent of hotel and apartment colours.

Two in one

In addition to the Berit Paracelsus Clinic, work was also carried out on the Bellavista Opthalmic Clinic over a period of nine months. This allowed HRS to make use of synergies. For example, the entrance to the underground car park to the Berit Paracelsus Clinic was built on the construction perimeter of the Bellavista underground car park. However, the overlap between the two projects required precise planning and coordination. A further challenge was the steep terrain with a difference in height of about 20 metres, which meant that lots of rock had to be removed. Additionally, important health clinic hygiene regulations had to be observed during the construction phase.