WESTSIDE SHOPPING AND LEISURE CENTRE GETS ONE MILLIONTH VISITOR

Switzerland’s Hottest Destination Hits Record Number in Less than Two Months of Business

Bern, Switzerland (December 2, 2008) -- In just fifty days since its opening, Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre, an exciting new development designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, welcomed its one millionth visitor to the state of the art shopping and entertainment facility.  After far exceeding the expected 15,000 visitors on opening day by bringing in over 67,000 people, Westside again showed its ability to bring in record numbers by exceeding one million visitors in less than two months.  Westside’s appeal comes from its great variety, offering not only 55 shops, 10 restaurants and bars, a hotel and senior residency, but also an enormous water park, fitness center and multiplex cinema.  Westside’s array of attractions includes the “BernAqua Adventure Pool,” now the largest water park in Switzerland.  The location doesn’t hurt either – situated right above the A1 highway and directly connected to the tram and the BERNMOBIL transport network – Westside is truly becoming the gathering place for the whole greater region of Bern.

Westside is one of a kind – a complex mixture of retail, residential, and recreational facilities – an urban marketplace full of experiences that attracts visitors of all ages, interests and backgrounds. With endless shopping, 18 different outdoor and indoor swimming pools, water slides, a world-class spa, 900 sqm gym, Roman steam baths, 11 cinemas, and a 300 sqm children’s play land – Westside offers so much more than the average shopping mall. Westside brings a new concept of living, shopping and entertainment to Bern and a powerful architectural style to a culturally booming city.  Its innovative, inspiring structure sets the standard for the attractive, varied range of experiences to be found at Westside.  The center attracts not only the visitors who want to enjoy the countless amenities available at Westside, but also those who appreciate architecture; at Westside, they get both on a grand scale.

Westside is the largest building project in Switzerland and the first shopping center to be designed by architect Daniel Libeskind.  The structure has already become a new architectural landmark and a gateway from the west to the city of Bern.  Libeskind’s concept was to create a public living space offering both day and night facilities, a self-enclosed district with endless amenities and services, almost like a city within a city.  “I think the 21st Century will create a completely new architecture for everyday life,” Libeskind said in a press conference at Westside the day before the opening, “We are used to that division between culture and commerce, but I think in the 21st century this division will be completely blurred, because what we’ve done here is to introduce a culture dimension to an everyday activity.”

For more information about Westside, please visit: http://www.westside.ch/.

CONTACT:     Studio Daniel Libeskind: 
                     Lynn Krogh, Director of Public Relations
                     T: +1 (212) 497-9114; Mobile: +1 (917) 378-9302
                     PublicRelations@daniel-libeskind.com