The house will open on 20 July and is expected to attract 250,000 visitors over 24 days. Most events and areas will be open to the public.
It will be organised by Swiss public body Presence Switzerland and supported by partners including the City and Canton of Zürich and chocolateir Lindt.
Nicolas Bideau, Swiss ambassador and head of Presence Switzerland, said: "The British citizens are expecting mountains, they are expecting quality, they are expecting chocolate, they are expecting cheese. We can offer that, but the challenge is to present an unexpected Switzerland."
The Red Zone
Switzerland will take over 3,000sqm of space around Glaziers Hall – including Montague Close and Cathedral Square - and paint it red to create the ‘Red Zone’.
The Red Mountains
- Three temporary structures shaped like mountains will be set up in Cathedral Square adjacent to Southwark Cathedral. A climbing wall will be set up on one "mountain" and those tackling it will enter a draw to win a trip to Switzerland.
- The square will house a concert stage, which will showcase Switzerland’s up-and-coming musicians six evenings a week, while on Monday evenings an open-air cinema will screen Swiss short films and cartoons.
- The Games will be broadcast live on screens in the square and a special stage will be the setting for the official Swiss medal-winning celebrations.
- Cathedral Square will also be the headquarters for the Swiss Broadcasting Coorporation as it broadcasts to Switzerland from a studio.
The Bernese Chalet and La Brasserie
The house’s three restaurants will be run by Mosimann’s, a British company with Swiss roots. It has gone back to "grandmother’s recipes" to set up the hospitality offering.
- Glaziers Hall’s Banqueting Hall will be transformed by an icicle theme, to host La Brasserie, a fine dining restaurant that will mainly be used by sponsors and partners of the house.
- The rustic Bernese Chalet restaurant in the Mug House pub near Glaziers Hall will serve classic Swiss "comfort food" while the Rosticceria in Cathedral Square will serve street food such as bratwurst and roesti to an estimated 500-1000 people a day.
The Swiss Game Lounge
To highlight Swiss strength in video game design, three app games developed by Presence Switzerland and a Zurich video game developer will be set up on gamestations on tablets and mobile phones. One uses augmented reality to guide players through the house, shooting at targets with a virtual crossbow to learn about Swiss-designed objects.
Nightclub
In the evening the main lounge will become a nightclub run by the Montreux Jazz Festival, with Swiss and international DJs.
Special events
From 4-5 August, the Bernese Games will bring traditional Swiss sports to life, such as Schwingen (folk wrestling) and Steinstossen (a Swiss version of shotput). A celebration of Swiss National Day will take place on 1 August and events for children will be organised by The House of Fairy Tales project.
To leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
For more in-depth and print-only features, showcases and interviews with world-leading brands, don't miss the next issue of Event magazine by