Am Wehrhahn

The study considers the potential re-use of the existing building that currently accommodates one of the Kaufhof Galeria’s in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Project Details +

Project Details

LOCATION: Dusseldorf, Germany

CLIENT: Signa

DATE: 2019

STATUS: Feasibility Study

SIZE: 46 720 m2 offices, 3 800 m2 retail, 1 000 m2 f&b, 19 306 m2 underground parking

Credits +

Credits

ACME: Monica Capitanio, Anne-Sophie Delaveau, Tim Laubinger, Friedrich Ludewig, Heidrun Schuhmann,  Jack Taylor, Matei Vlăsceanu.

Existing

Proposed demolition

Proposed addition

The economic centre of Düsseldorf saw significant reconstruction in the 1950s and 1960s. One of the largest department stores is Kaufhof Wehrhahn, completed in 1969, anchors the eastern end of the core city centre. As retail footprints are shrinking and department stores are falling out of use, Düsseldorf Wehrhahn is a prime example to explore creative reuse of existing structures.

While the client brief requested full demolition, the proposal focuses on retaining and re-using 90% of the existing concrete structure of the department store. Facades and partitions are stripped back, and the central escalator void enlarged, to create a generous atrium and provide good daylight levels throughout. While the store structure has outstanding ceiling heights, the parking structure is too low to be reusable, and will be replaced by new floors aligned with the existing store. 

The existing concrete frame had spare loading capacity, allowing three new floors to be placed on top of the existing store. In order to deliver additional height for a residential tower, 10% of the existing structure is rebuilt from the ground up to support a timber highrise element, providing a new sustainable landmark at the eastern end of the Wehrhahn axis. 

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