New high-rise plan
for Kennedydamm
RP-Online, Düsseldorf: After the completion of the Gateway project in Düsseldorf-Golzheim, there’s going to be a competition for two other high-rise buildings in the immediate neighbourhood – with increased local amenities included.
A start has already been made on the next large-scale project on Kennedydamm. die developer want to build two high-rise buildings on the former DGB property on the corner of Kennedydamm and Hans-Böckler-Straße, one of which will include apartments. It will also offer many local amenities. Investors estimate the costs for the projects to reach around EUR 500 million. On Wednesday, the planning committee decided on a public consultation ahead of an urban planning and architectural competition.
This is good news for Kennedydamm, since the developer of the “Gateway” confirmed only a few days ago that it is withdrawing from the procedure for a high-rise building. The chairman of the planning committee, Alexander Fils (CDU), spoke of his disappointment. In addition to the loss of not being able to implement a much-lauded design, the withdrawal means a setback for the neighbouring “Twist” building, since it was a joint procedure which included bundling the development for both towers. New plans now have to be drawn up for the “Twist” and developer Aengevelt has been given the green light.
The “Gateway” was developed by the company Development Partner, who claimed that they were forced to step away from the plans for the high-rise building due to changes caused by the pandemic and rising costs. Instead of the skyscraper, they want to tear down the former Kennedydamm Center and rebuild there within the existing legal framework.
die developer – not to be confused with the company Development Partner – obviously view the opportunities on Kennedydamm differently. The company became well-known in Düsseldorf after erecting the Libeskind building (Kö-Bogen I) and building the head offices for L'Oréal (project name Horizon) and PWC (Eclipse) on Kennedydamm. Head of die developer, Stefan Mühling, is now making a start on the next project just a few metres away; it is more comprehensive and will encompass different uses.
These are the locations of new high-rise buildings
Plan The city has determined possible locations for new high-rise buildings in the high-rise framework.
Locations Individual clusters of high-rise buildings were developed to relieve the city centre in the 1960s, such as the Seestern and Kennedydamm. Also suitable are the central area of the city centre (except for the Old Town/Kö), the railway station, the harbour area and the government district, as well as Stadteingang Süd, Völklinger Straße and the Mörsenbroicher Ei.
The DGB was resident on the 10,300 m2 plot for many years and the headquarters of the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung were located there until 2020. The complex is now empty. Together with the urban planning office, Mühling is planning a two-phase competition for the area, initially with eight and then four architectural practices in the final.
The challenging task is obviously attractive, since 17 of the world’s leading architectural practices were contacted according to Mühling, with all of them expressing an interest in participating. Beforehand, however , comments, ideas and requirements from the public should be brought into the procedure early on as part of a public consultation. The city has recently had some very positive experiences with this.
The objective of the planning is to positively affect the immediate surroundings and the neighbourhood with a mix of offices and commercial and residential spaces. The temporary bridge over the Kennedydamm is to be integrated as a connecting element. Mühling talks about “the next stage of innovation after the development of the neighbourhood”. One or two high points could be created on a two-storey base, the higher one with offices, the lower one with apartments.
The base would be a meeting place that is open in different directions: cars go underground while pedestrians and cyclists use the ground and first floor.
Mühling talks about the connection to the nearby cycling paths that are planned to run from north to south and from east to west. What’s especially important: “It should offer everything that the nearby neighbourhood expects.”
You can’t call Kennedydamm a “neighbourhood”, but the developers point out “that Roß and Tannenstraße aren't exactly oversupplied”. Restaurants, all types of service providers, culture – anything is possible according to Mühling. However, the developer is reliant on the creativity of the planners.
What about height? The “Twist” should now be 117.80 metres high instead of 112.60 metres, with up to an additional 8 metres for a vertiport. In the former trade union area, discussions are under way for the larger tower reaching between 70 and 100 metres, while Fils does not want to surpass the nearby Sky-Office (89 metres). The residential tower should be lower than the office tower.