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.
