Six architectural projects that will change Düsseldorf

Between timber hybrid, luxury boulevard and pile construction

Düsseldorf's architecture is already rich in superlatives. The MedienHafen is home to an iconic triad in the form of Frank O. Gehry's Neuer Zollhof and received another signature building three years ago in the form of Renzo Piano's Float. Kö-Bogen I, designed by New York star architect Daniel Libeskind, and the neighboring Kö-Bogen II by Ingenhoven Architects, which boasts the largest green façade in Europe, also make this clear: Düsseldorf rightly has a reputation for daring to do the unusual when it comes to architecture and neighborhood design, and for allowing dreams to take flight. We have already taken a look into the future and can announce spectacular prospects - in addition to aesthetic and sustainable requirements. Below are six remarkable building projects. 

Tadao Ando Campus & Tower

The Tadao Ando Campus & Tower at Mörsenbroicher Ei is set to become nothing less than a new landmark for Düsseldorf. Like the city gate in the south of Düsseldorf, it will welcome newcomers here at the busy northern entrance to the city - and create a haven of peace. Infrastructure that enhances the quality of life - this is exactly what the Japanese star architect and Pritzker Prize winner has in mind. "My building for Düsseldorf is not intended to mirror nature," says Tadao Ando. Rather, it should show that people in the city can live with nature. "My architecture should be calming." As the heart of the three-part ensemble, a combination of concrete, wood and wood hybrid structure, which is planned as a CO₂-neutral passive high-rise and is to be controlled via AI, the master of minimalism has planned a 105-metre-high tower. A glass prism protrudes from the building at lofty heights - a spectacular venue for events, art and cultural events. And this is what characterizes the usage concept in general: The public is included. A mix of office space, hotel, retail, art spaces, restaurants (on the top two floors of the tower with a view!) and more is planned. There will also be accessible green roof areas and vertical greenery designed by Swiss landscape architect Enzo Enea. Around 300 trees are to improve the urban climate in the long term. Until then, there is a great interim use concept, the "Ando Future Studios", including start-up support, artists' studios and space for exhibitions.

The Cradle

Architecture of the future - it not only stands out from the crowd with its aesthetics. It also shines with its positive contribution to the climate and microclimate. The Cradle in Düsseldorf's MedienHafen, designed by HPP Architekten, is the first timber hybrid office building in Düsseldorf that - nomen est omen - is committed to the cradle-to-cradle principle. "Architecture has to do more than just look good," says Gerhard G. Feldmeyer, Managing Director of HPP Architekten for many years, "we have to throw old familiar things overboard a bit and realize how we can create added value for people and the environment." In fact, a recyclable building is currently being constructed on Speditionsstraße, the individual components of which can be reused or recycled should The Cradle have to be renovated or demolished on a large scale in the distant future. This conserves resources and also means that no harmful substances are used. Wood as a material also binds CO₂ and optimizes the climate. Green walls and sustainable energy management do the rest - no wonder The Cradle has already won the prestigious MIPIM/The Architectural Review Future Project Award, among others. However, it is not only the sustainability concept that is innovative, but also the diamond-shaped façade structure. Completion is scheduled for the coming months and the topping-out ceremony has already been celebrated. If you visit the architectural icons of the MedienHafen in the future, be it the Gehry buildings or Renzo Piano's FLOAT, why not plan a detour to The Cradle?

Pier One

We are staying in the exciting place that has changed like no other in Düsseldorf over the past decades: the MedienHafen. Where until the 1990s it was still a derelict industrial port area, today it is not only home to over 700 companies. Visionary architectural projects are setting international standards - an extensive stroll through the port is therefore a must for fans of modern architecture. The names Frank O. Gehry and Renzo Piano have already been mentioned, but of course the Colorium by William Alsop with its more than 2,200 colorful glass panels is also worth a visit. Not to be forgotten: the city gate designed by Karl-Heinz Petzinka between the MedienHafen and the government district. Or The Living Bridge, a structure consisting of a pedestrian bridge and restaurant building - and that brings us right back to the topic. Because the MedienHafen is not only continuing to grow, it is also continuing to grow together. Architect Christoph Ingenhoven, himself a harbor resident with his Düsseldorf office and based on the site of the former Plange Mühle wheat mill (which he himself helped to redesign), wants to build bridges and connect the headlands directly with the harbor in this way. A harbor circuit - a dream come true! But not only with the help of new bridges: part of the plan is Pier One, a new building on 180 piles above the water at the tip of the Kesselstrasse peninsula, which conveys the lightness of typical pier buildings. Spacious terraces will form part of the pathway system and be accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

JEP1

An anniversary is coming up in 2023: Kö-Bogen I is celebrating its tenth anniversary! And if we're talking about urban planning highlights in Düsseldorf, then it's certainly this ingenious wave-shaped ensemble of buildings made of glass and white natural stone, designed by New York star architect Daniel Libeskind for the former traffic junction at the upper end of Düsseldorf's Königsallee. Its congenial addition, Kö-Bogen II, was completed in 2020. And as with the MedienHafen, Christoph Ingenhoven was also in charge of the redesign of the area around Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz. A total of 30,000 hornbeams in 3,500 troughs now form Europe's largest green façade here - in the direct vicinity of the two architectural icons Schauspielhaus and Dreischeibenhaus. Ingenhoven Architects is also responsible for the tapered market hall with a walkable lawn opposite, which has become a favorite vantage point for tourists and locals alike since its opening in 2021. Another impressive feature is the location, which combines the urban with its diverse shopping opportunities and a great range of restaurants with nature. Be it in the form of the adjacent Hofgarten and its extended Landskrone waterway or the eight-kilometre-long hornbeam hedge of Kö-Bogen II, which binds CO₂, stores moisture, absorbs noise and promotes biodiversity. So everything is perfect? Not quite (yet): there is still a construction site in the way. But it will soon be gone too: JEP1 (short for Joachim-Erwin-Platz 1), another Ingenhoven building whose round shapes and highly transparent glass façade blend in with the surroundings, is nearing completion. It will house a hotel, among other things, and the green roof terrace with its panoramic view will be open to the public. A new hotspot for sure!

Le Coeur

From the Kö-Bogen to the Kö, right into its heart: Le Coeur is the apt name of a project that attracted particular attention in the winter of 2022/23 with its heart-shaped light installation and illuminated lettering. It spanned three floors of the former Commerzbank building, which had been demolished and gutted down to its foundations on the corner of Königsallee and Benrather Straße, and became a real social media star. The impressive vault weighing several tons on the ground also bore witness to the history of the place. In fact, it not only housed over a thousand safe deposit boxes, but was also a work of art - a piece by sculptor Karl Schlamminger, which also boosted photo tourism. Much of the substance from the 1980s has been preserved. Almost all of the natural stone slabs from the previous façade with its 70-metre-long frontage onto Königsallee will be reused, according to the joint design by Düsseldorf-based RKW Architektur + and Pickard Chilton from the USA. And this fits in perfectly with the city of Düsseldorf's plan to become climate-neutral by 2035. Around 40,000 square meters of offices will be built on the upper floors, while restaurants and retail outlets will move into the first floor. The heart of Le Coeur will be a spacious green inner courtyard that is open to all residents - another green oasis that city dwellers love!

Calatrava Boulevard

Another Kö project that is set to add even more splendor to the tradition-steeped boulevard: The Calatrava Boulevard, named after its architect Santiago Calatrava, is already making headlines a good five years before its scheduled completion. Not only because the name Calatrava stands for major international projects, such as the Dubai Creek Tower or the Puente del Alamillo cable-stayed bridge in Seville, but also in view of the more than one billion euros that the Düsseldorf-based Centrum Group intends to invest here as project developer. The plan is to create a luxury quarter on Königsallee. Some of the existing buildings will be demolished and some of their facades will be retained. In this way, a contemporary blend of old and new is to be created in this huge new construction and conversion project. And in this case, thanks to Calatrava, "new" is clearly synonymous with functional on the one hand and organic and futuristic on the other. Literally at the center of the project is a boulevard with undulating interior façades and plenty of greenery, the roof of which can be opened up when the weather permits. Flagships of luxury brands and selected restaurants are to move in here on 15,000 square meters. There will be accessible roof terraces and solar panels for green energy. Incidentally, the two Kö stores by Moncler and Fendi, which opened last year, are also part of the Calatrava Boulevard.

The contribution is funded by REACT-EU.

Cover picture: Düsseldorf Tourismus