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PROJECTS / CARRÈ BELGE COLOGNE

A Green Hotel Between the Belgian District and Gerling Quarter

Christoph Ingenhoven is responsible for the overall concept for repurposing Cologne’s former CAPITOL TV production facility into a hotel. Key aspects of the project include the facade design of the existing building and the construction of an extension in the inner courtyard. The central city site, located between the Belgian district and the Gerling quarter, has been selected for the development of a four-star boutique hotel. The new 186-room building will be constructed on a 4,000 square meter site, featuring six upper stories, and will be accessed from Hohenzollernring. Additionally, the project includes an attractive retail area with a gross floor area of 1,800 square meters, partly housed in the existing CAPITOL building and partly in a new inner courtyard structure.

Since its opening in 1929 and reconstruction in 1954, the Capitol has been Cologne’s most significant cinema. By the late 1990s, it had gained nationwide recognition as the production facility for TV shows like The Harald Schmidt Show and TV Total.

Retaining the name, Christoph Ingenhoven will give the historic building a new identity. The guiding concept for the design is a stacked pyramid as a green lung within the new CAPITOL hotel, featuring numerous offset planted terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows facing the inner courtyard. The facade facing Hohenzollernring will present a prestigious address for the hotel, offices, and shops, with an elegant, transparent front building that opens onto the green inner courtyard, both designed to attract the attention of passers-by. The new courtyard will provide shade, trap dust particles, and, with its abundant greenery, regulate humidity. It forms a protective square that absorbs noise and sound.

In terms of urban design, the new development will enhance the appeal of the Hohenzollernring area and serve as a fitting addition to the neighboring Belgian district.