With "Living in Bethlehem", a new neighbourhood is being built on the site of the Bethlehem Mission Society. The first flats were available for occupation in 2021. The housing estate is intended to carry the basic idea of the Mission into the future.
In April and May 2021, the first tenants moved into the 51 flats in the first phase of “Living in Bethlehem”. The following month saw the opening of the Bistro and the neighbourhood Infopoint, two key elements of community life in the development. The day care centre opened at the beginning of July, followed by an additional playgroup in August. While these services are also open to the public, residents benefit from additional services such as a total of twelve flexible Joker rooms and guest studios, leisure and disco rooms as well as support in everyday life and housekeeping.
The development, designed by Lucerne architects Lüscher Bucher Theiler, offers a spatial programme with small flats that is unusual for the rural region. The four buildings in the first phase are grouped around the former courtyard of the Mission House, transforming it into the new centrepiece of the development. The eight buildings in the next two phases will be erected later to the east.
Three further construction phases will follow by 2037, shown here as transparent cubes.
With this project, the Mission Society is responding to the local need for affordable housing in the Küssnacht district, particularly for families and senior citizens. The attractive residential location in Küssnacht and Immensee has led to rising house prices in recent years. At the same time, the Mission Society and the district have used the project to drive forward the development of housing for the elderly.
An environment for community and tolerance
But “In Bethlehem” is more than just affordable living space: it offers residents an environment that promotes community, neighbourliness and tolerance. The tenants have numerous communal areas at their disposal. The need for more flexibility and a new sense of togetherness are intended to provide a contrast to the prevailing anonymity of housing.
The Bethlehem Mission Society SMB wants to carry its worldwide social commitment and the basic ideas of the mission into the future with the non-profit residential development “Living in Bethlehem”. It is also intended as a sign of gratitude to the district of Küssnacht am Rigi and its inhabitants for their hospitality.
