Several hundred guests joined Daniel Libeskind in a ceremony last Friday as he laid the foundation stone of the Kö-Bogen building along with Dusseldorf’s Lord Mayor Dirk Elbers, investor Kurt Zech of Zech Group, and project developer Stefan H. Muehling. The stainless steel foundation stone, designed by Libeskind, will be visibly integrated into the facade of the building.
The new 432,300 sqf mixed use building is scheduled for completion in 2013 will house both office and retail space in downtown Dusseldorf. The design of Kö-Bogen intends to naturally blend landscape into the building space through geometry, permeated cuts in the facade, the green courtyards, and green roof system. All of these elements are ‘part of a new environment that bridges urban space with park space’.
The Kö-Bogen project will join two city blocks with one continuous roof line, forming a unified space for walking, shopping and working. The building will also create a connected space between the Schadowplatz and the Hofgarten, the central park in Düsseldorf.
Kö-Bogen is made up of both straight and curved geometry. The straight lines are meant to reflect the city context, matching the building line on the Koenigsallee. The curved lines, which maneuver within and around Kö-Bogen’s courtyards, create more fluid connections with the pedestrian environment.
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- © Archimation
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- © Studio Daniel Libeskind
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- © Archimation
Why do I “cringe” when no overall image or plan is included?
Yes, what’s up with that – show us a site plan, a section maybe too…
A sad day for architecture if this lame idea ever emerges above curb level.
Yet another Libeskind building with a few meaningless diagonal slashes. It’s like that is the only idea he’s got for EVERY project regardless of typology. New museum? Add a slash. New Shopping Center? Add a few slashes. Commercial Center? Try that slash thing again. It fooled the last client. No reason not to drag it out again.
If ever those slashes were fitting it was in the Jewish Museum in Berlin, if that was the first time he did that then there was a meaning for them in the context of the building and what it represents!
But I must agree that using them all over like that is too much! Libeskind is kind of a “one trick pony” in my book… like many others for good or bad – Richard Meier with his white clad squares, Zaha Hadid curving everything, Frank Gehry you know what and more.
It’s good to have a signature thing you do – but keep it under control.
How is this even important news? It is an old story dragged out yet again as a photo-op for the publicity-seeking Libeskind. His ginormous ego craves so much attention that he thinks the world wants to see him pose with a corner stone for the latest developer schlock project from his hack office.
Why all the negativity, you probably DONT have a building up, probably DONT have anything defining your architecture/buildings, probably DONT have a name to yourself, probably DONT have a life. Get one, and get off Libeskinds behind!
Are you talking to yourself?
Nope! i appreciate his stuff. Its bold. He dares to go there.
Even if it’s not a masterpiece like his Jewish Museum (not at all…), it’s still worth publishing – and not worse then most of the projects published here. The only annoying thing are the boring comments here ;-)
Please stop.
“Hater’s gonna hate” and so forth.
On the SDL page there are more pics of the project: http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/projects/show-all/koe-bogen-duesseldorf/
Sure, the slash mannerisms seem a bit boring but the aerial shot doesn’t look that bad.
Libeskind is an “architect” in the same way that Tori Spelling is an “actress”. They are the most talentless, most worthless people in their professions, but they use their political and financial connections to get their names everywhere, even though they have nothing to offer and don’t know what they are doing.
“The stainless steel foundation stone, designed by Libeskind, will be visibly integrated into the facade of the building.”
Amazing. It just goes to show (i) Libeskind doesn’t even know that a foundation is supposed to be BELOW ground level, and (ii) that he will do anything to satisfy his ego, even placing a foundation stone on the facade so people have to see his name. The guy’s sense of his own self importance is off the charts.
I find Libeskind’s work worse than bad. It is actually disgusting. I want to vomit.
If the Germans want Libeskind, they can have him. At least nobody in the United States ever hires him anymore. Our cities will remain beautiful and safe as long as he’s working out his psychological problems in Germany.
Who is the old lady in the black pants-suit standing beside the cornerstone?