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PROJECTS / PIER ONE

Building Bridges in the Harbour of Düsseldorf

Pier One represents a striking new development in Düsseldorf's harbor, supported by 160 piles extending over the water. Designed to meet the highest ecological standards, it provides space for premium offices, showrooms, cafés, and restaurants.

Its exceptional location ensures short distances, facilitated by four new, elegant bridges directly linking Pier One with Speditionsstraße, Kesselstraße, and Weizenmühlenstraße, integrating it seamlessly into the prominent MedienHafen neighborhood. This infrastructure transformation in Düsseldorf's harbor signifies a departure from the traditional separation of work and leisure, commerce and industry, reflecting the area's evolution over recent decades.

Conceived by Christoph Ingenhoven and developed by Harbour Properties, Pier One epitomizes innovation and urban connectivity in waterfront development.

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Creating Connections

"With Pier One, we are creating a new, vibrant place – on the water, for Düsseldorf. The connection of the harbor arms eliminates the old separation of work, leisure, commerce, and industry."

Christoph Ingenhoven

In the realm of urban planning, Pier One represents a natural progression in the evolution of Düsseldorf Harbour, a pivotal area in the city's urban development along the Rhine. Dating back to 1886, the city's first port facility, a beacon of modernity in its time, catalyzed Düsseldorf's emergence as a significant trade and industrial hub. In 1906, Georg Plange, owner of Europe's largest milling company, erected a distinctive flour mill building that became an iconic landmark, manufacturing the renowned Diamant flour brand. The economic upsurge during the post-war reconstruction in the 1950s prompted a comprehensive port restructuring, responding to the rise of container shipping and the challenges posed by the coal and steel crisis. By the mid-1970s, a blend of offices and businesses began to intermingle with industrial enterprises, and from 1990 onwards, the development of the MedienHafen (Media Harbour) has reshaped the district into a premier destination within the city.

However, expanding the harbor's use beyond trade and industry necessitates robust long-term infrastructure. The historic quays extend deeply into the harbor, requiring visitors to traverse considerable distances to reach the headland's tip. Establishing a new efficient transport route is contingent upon the installation of bridges. The concept of directly linking the headlands within Düsseldorf's port originated from the "Living Bridges" exhibition, curated by the Centre Pompidou Paris and the Royal Academy London and exhibited at the NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf in 2000. This exhibition showcased Christoph Ingenhoven's urban development vision for the commercial port: a network comprising floating and footbridges. With Pier One, this concept is now materializing into reality, introducing not only a new building but also a fresh infrastructure with these bridges. Similar to Kö-Bogen II in Düsseldorf's city center, this project signifies a paradigm shift—a symbol of a new era and a catalyst for further transformation of the port.