The Foundation
Purpose of the Barracks Foundation
The Foundation for the Renovation of the Barracks of the Pontifical Swiss Guard at the Vatican (Barracks Foundation) was established in Solothurn in autumn 2016. Its sole aim is to renovate the barracks buildings and the other infrastructure facilities of the Guard. The foundation is subject to the supervisory authorities of the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Solothurn. With its public and charitable purpose, it is recognised as tax-exempt. Once its purpose has been fulfilled (or in the event of the project being cancelled), the foundation will be dissolved and its capital transferred to the Guard Foundation.
New construction of the guard barracks
The current barracks buildings were built in the 19th century. Hardly any renovations have been carried out since then, which is why the poor building fabric and inadequate insulation cause disproportionately high maintenance costs. Soon after the establishment of the Barracks Foundation, a feasibility study revealed that a completely new construction of the Guards Barracks would be necessary. At present, two barracks buildings are used as troop accommodation for unmarried members of the Guards and as a catering area. The third building houses the command and the Guard families living in the neighbourhood.
The Project
Initial situation
The building fabric of the garrison barracks is poor, the insulation inadequate. You can smell the damp in the walls, the walls are full of stains and the plaster is crumbling in many places. The room layout is no longer up to date: triple rooms and shared showers/toilets are now unacceptable with a minimum service period of 26 months. Most married guardsmen with families have to live outside the neighbourhood in Rome. Neither the architecture nor the materialisation of the current buildings are worth protecting. However, the surrounding Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Planned construction
The new construction project was developed in 2019 by Ticino architects Durisch + Nolli. It envisaged a complete rebuild of the existing barracks buildings and was based on an initial cost estimate of CHF 45 million.
This project formed the basis for the launch of the fundraising campaign in Switzerland in 2019.
Review and further development
In the following years, the project was reviewed by the relevant Vatican authorities and submitted to UNESCO for preliminary review in 2023. (The Vatican is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that important real estate projects must be submitted to it).
After UNESCO gave its preliminary approval, our architects and engineers, with the support of experts from the Governatorato, set about developing the final design. This work continued throughout 2024. However, between the original project in 2019 and the final project in 2024, there were additional requirements that had to be adapted by the architects.
Thanks to the generous support of our patrons, the original construction budget of around 45 million Swiss francs was largely secured until the end of 2024.
Press release dated 18 February 2026
Financing
The original project enabled the creation of an initial budget with construction costs amounting to CHF 45 million. This budget served as the basis for the fundraising campaign launched by the foundation in Switzerland at the end of 2019.
Thanks to the generous support of our patrons, the original construction budget of around CHF 45 million was largely secured until the end of 2024. (44.7 million)
A higher budget for important changes
Between the original 2019 project and the final 2025 project, there were significant changes and new technical constraints arose. In addition, construction costs in Rome have risen sharply.
The next step
The confidence shown by the Vatican makes it clear that the project is not just a construction project, but a joint endeavour of the Holy See, the foundation and its benefactors.
It combines responsibility, trust and international solidarity.
The conditions are in place. Now it is a matter of securing the remaining funds so that construction work can begin once the permits have been obtained. Our goal remains to complete the new fundraising phase by the end of 2026 and then move on to implementation.
With your support, we want to create better accommodation conditions for the Swiss Guard, an elite corps that stands for the values of dedication, loyalty and neutrality, which are very close to our hearts. A guard that has done our country proud for over 500 years!
We ask you from the bottom of our hearts: join us in ensuring that this unique corps can continue to serve in the future – and that Switzerland remains present in the Vatican in a sympathetic and meaningful way.
Your donation will give the Swiss Guard a home and a future!
Thank you very much!
The Foundation Board, the Patronage Committee and all Swiss Guards in Rome
Timing
Requirements: 30% more living space, more spaces to retreat to (single rooms) and more apartments for families; higher safety standards (fire alarms, fire doors, access control, etc.); larger kitchen and canteen, theater hall, archive, library, music and gymnastics room, storage rooms, tailoring, bicycle cellar.
The architecture firm Durisch + Nolli has experience with buildings in which safety plays a role or the focus is on the functionality of the functional building. The feasibility study has shown that the additional space requirements can be covered within the small area available. The adaptation of the planned building to the surroundings with the materials typical of Rome and the Vatican and the proposed architectural style convinced the Board of Trustees and the competent authorities in the Vatican. In February 2018, the feasibility study was submitted to the decision-makers of the Vatican State. The study shows that due to the poor condition of the buildings, only a new building can be considered.
On the basis of the feasibility study, the Vatican decided to continue the planning work by realising a preliminary project. The purpose of the preliminary project is to plan the construction work in detail and to produce a cost estimate that is as precise as possible. Furthermore, the effective construction time should be shortened as a result of this planning process. On 2 October 2020, a delegation from the Foundation personally presented the project to Pope Francis, who welcomed it warmly. On the same day, the project was officially handed over to Cardinal Parolin at the Secretariat of State.
After obtaining the expected approval, submission to UNESCO and the City of Rome. The Barracks Foundation realised that it had underestimated the complicated and slow procedures in the Vatican. In particular, the innovative aspects of the project (such as the materials and technologies used, ecology, recycling, etc.), which the Vatican specialists are not very familiar with, require additional clarifications. Unfortunately, these clarifications were only initiated internally within the Vatican in 2021, although the Foundation had already explained certain aspects in 2018. The approval process will take longer than originally planned. Furthermore, the Holy Year 2025 represents a great challenge due to the crowds of pilgrims expected on Italian soil.
Between 2019 and 2023, the project was reviewed by the relevant Vatican authorities and submitted to UNESCO for preliminary review in 2023. (The Vatican is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means that important real estate projects must be submitted to it for review). After UNESCO gave its preliminary approval, our architects and engineers, with the support of experts from the Governatorato, set about developing the final design. This work continued throughout 2024. However, between the original project in 2019 and the final project in 2024, there were additional requirements that had to be adapted by the architects.
The additional requirements arising from the project development will result in additional costs of around CHF 9 million. Since 2019, construction prices in Rome have risen sharply as a result of the pandemic, inflation and the high level of construction activity during the Holy Year. The price increase amounts to around 33.5%. The Foundation is doing everything in its power to keep these additional costs as low as possible through targeted negotiations with the contracted and potential construction companies and estimates around CHF 11 million for this purpose. As construction cannot begin until 2027 and is expected to continue until 2029, an additional financial reserve of CHF 5 million has been budgeted for in order to be able to respond to further price increases. Taking all factors into account, an increase in the total budget of around CHF 25 million to a total of CHF 70 million appears realistic and necessary.
The ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for 2027. Construction is expected to take three years. The guard is scheduled to move in in 2029/2030. An official inauguration is planned for 2030. Due to the historical location of the buildings, the geological and archaeological features, and an outer wall that forms the national border with Italy, the construction period may take longer.
The Foundation
The Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is made up of members who have a wealth of experience in property projects, finance and cultural management. They all work on a voluntary basis, i.e. without remuneration. The Board of Trustees has selected Durisch + Nolli as the architects for the feasibility study and the preliminary project and Ernst & Young as the auditors. Its tasks include approving the budgets, annual accounts and activity reports, supervising the administrative office and ensuring compliance with the statutes. The Board of Trustees is chaired by Jean-Pierre Roth, former President of the Swiss National Bank.
