High Rising Düsseldorf
With the Wilhelm Marx House, known as Germany's first high-rise office building, the Dreischeibenhaus or the ARAG Tower, Düsseldorf can look back on a long tradition of highrise buildings. Other striking towers like the Stadttor or the L'Oréal headquarters Horizon were added later. And new ones like the Eclipse, the Gateway or Grand Central are currently being built. An interview with Cornelia Zuschke about Düsseldorf as a skyscraper location.
Why does Düsseldorf need high-rise buildings?
Like many dynamic cities, we find tall buildings and high-rises very appealing: they are attractive because of the efficient use of space, but also interesting because of their returns. That's why we organised a symposium in 2018 with experts from Germany and other European countries and the urban community to identify development trends and exchange experiences. This was the kick-off for the new skyscraper framework plan. It is accompanied by the so-called skyscraper advisory board, a committee of representatives from urban planning, landscape architecture, the real estate industry and politics.
How does this skyscraper master plan help you specifically?
We don't want to be a city with a huge skyline, but we want to know exactly on which axes and in which correspondences we will place skyscraper buildings. We have worked this out in layers and arguments in the high-rise master plan, which we will present for decision this year. It is a kind of toolbox and planning aid so that investors can make a preliminary assessment at a very early stage.
What are the special challenges when building a new high-rise?
For example, which high points are in the surrounding area that have a certain significance - such as the TV tower, churches or the Dreischeibenhaus. A high-rise is not alone and must fit into the polycentric layout of the city and the neighbourhood. The planned Calatrava Tower, for example, did not fulfil these conditions, which is why the project was delegated to a review last year. •
Head of planning, construction, mobility and real estate in the state capital Düsseldorf
the tallest skyscrapers
ARAG Tower >> 125 metres
32 floors
Opened: 2000
Architects: Foster + Partners
Rhode, Kellermann, Wawrowsky
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LVA Building >> 123 metres
29 floors
Opened: 1978
Architect: Harald Deilmann
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Victoria Haus >> 109 metres
29 floors
Opened: 1998
Architects: Hentrich,
Petschnigg & Partner
Coming soon
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Upper North Tower >> 120 metres
36 floors
Architects: Sauerbruch Hutton
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High-rise at main train station
>> approx. 115 metres
Architects: MONO Architects;
Greubel & Schilp & Schmidt PartGmbH
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Twist >> 110 metres
28 floors
Architects: kadawittfeld
Interview Tom Corrinth
Picture iStock