First meeting of the sounding board
The first Sounding Board meeting took place in Bern at the end of November 2025. Together with representatives from municipalities, planning practice and professional organisations, the project team discussed the project launch as well as initial findings from the good-practice review and the development of the typology. This early exchange was intended to sharpen the project’s focus from the outset and to test initial assumptions against practical experience.
The discussion made clear that services of general interest and Baukultur in rural municipalities are closely interlinked. What matters most is the interaction between use, public space and social infrastructure. Successful projects do not only strengthen a single building, but revitalise the village centre as a whole and can provide impulses for broader municipal development. In this sense, Baukultur was understood not as an isolated design issue, but as a strategic lever for local development.
Initiating development processes and building local support
Challenges such as financing, standards and regulatory requirements were also addressed. Temporary uses were highlighted as a possible means to make potentials visible and to initiate development processes. Such interim solutions were seen as pragmatic tools to reduce risk and build local support. In addition, the planned travelling exhibition was discussed as a key element of the project, as it will make examples and findings tangible and serve as a basis for dialogue within municipalities.
Network of practitioners
Finally, the idea of establishing a network of practitioners was received very positively, particularly as a long-term structure for peer learning, experience exchange and site-based learning through visits to concrete projects.