UNStudio to design a new mixed-use development in Düsseldorf

The jury for the international competition hosted by Cologne’s PANDION development company has selected a design from UNStudio as the winning commission for a new community-oriented scheme in Düsseldorf overlooking the Rhine.

The 90-meter (295-foot) Belsenpark Tower will couple with a pair of additional low-rise buildings to form a mixed-use program permeated by pocket parks and a pedestrian axis connecting it to the nearby district of Oberkassel. 

The ground floor of the high-rise features space for a public park, dining amenities, a gym to stimulate social interaction amongst its residents. Apartments ranging in size from 30- to 130 square meters (between 323 and 3,333 square feet) will then occupy the proceeding seven stories, followed immediately by flexible office spaces dedicated to. The two smaller buildings will be held aside for affordable housing.

Sound insulation will play a pivotal role as the development is located next to a heavily-trafficked elevated road junction. Enclosed loggias on one side of the building support a network of baffle panes, which pair ventilation gaps with the sound-absorbing wood linings of the loggia to effect an almost pollutant-free interior environment. 

Per the architects: “The geometric alignment of the deep soffits in the facade elements also offer a high level of soundproofing and passive sun protection, while maximizing the view of the Rhine floodplains. On the lower area of the building, slightly iridescent light aluminum elements and white plaster facades of the price-controlled living program reflect the materiality of the context, while light natural stone elements characterize the appearance of the tower next to the warm wood-clad loggias.”

OKRA Landscape Architects will handle the considerable landscaping tasks for the project, which entails the careful placement of a central water feature that ties together a rainwater retention system to provide a circular utility source for the site year-round.

The team of Bollinger+Grohmann will then oversee the task of reducing the site’s CO2 emissions, which is accomplished through a modular construction of the support structure, facades, and building services and heavy use of prefabricated, low-embodied carbon, and upcycled materials in order to effect the desired result.