Three ways to preserve a Neolithic site

An EPFL study commissioned by the Canton of Bern has come up with three possible ways of protecting the Sutz-Lattrigen archaeological site, which offers a rare insight into the lives of pile dwellers. Sutz-Lattrigen was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011. EPFL experts have offered the Canton of Bern three solutions to preserve the Sutz-Lattrigen archaeological site on the shores of Lake Biel: a submerged dike, a breakwater or a protective flexible concrete mat. All three options are intended to prevent waves from eroding the objects, stilts and other remains of a civilization that dates back to the Neolithic period. The experts were commissioned by the Canton of Bern in 2015 and will present their final report to various representatives of the cantonal government on 31 October. "Our task was to look at ways of protecting the lake bed and shoreline in the most discreet way possible," explains Azin Amini, a specialist in coastal projects and director of the study conducted by the Laboratory of Hydraulic Constructions (LCH). With this in mind, the members of the laboratory organized several meetings with those concerned, including environmental, forest and landscape conservationists, representatives from the cantonal archaeological service, and engineering firms already involved in other projects on Lake Biel.