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PROJECTS / STADTWERKE DÜSSELDORF

New Construction for Stadtwerke Düsseldorf

Despite the use of simple, industrial materials and the complete absence of historicizing decor, a temple of industry emerged that anticipated the aesthetics of the dawning age. Could there be a more fitting location for an energy company than a site marked by steaming cooling towers? Stadtwerke Düsseldorf decided to establish their new headquarters on a vast power plant site.

Here, too, early industrial architecture dominates, clearly reflecting the influence of Behrens’ design. After their successful participation in the competition, the architects were commissioned to design an office building that would centralize the previously scattered departments of Stadtwerke. They chose a building form consisting of wings parallel to the two old buildings, connected by courtyards. A third building, the boiler house, had to give way to the new construction. Glass joints connect the preserved old buildings with each other and with the new building. The turbine hall and the old administration building were constructed in 1889 by Erasmus Kittler.

The refurbished and publicly accessible turbine hall is used as a customer center on the ground floor and as an event hall on the upper floor. Customers access the hall via newly installed escalators and an elevator. The character of a large machine hall has been preserved through the retention of a turbine, which serves to document the historic power plant. The skylight roof has been covered with clear glass, making the room much brighter. The wall surfaces are adorned with large-format, colorful artworks by the Cuban artist Jorge Pardo. The floors were also laid according to a design by the artist, using diamond-shaped yellow ceramic tiles