UNStudio has been selected as the winner of the international competition for the design of a mixed-use development in Düsseldorf, Germany, surpassing other internationally recognized participant offices, including 3XN, BIG, David Chipperfield Architect, and finalists Hadi Teherani Architects, HPP Architekten, and Ingenhoven. UNStudio’s proposal features two mixed-use towers measuring up to 120 meters, surrounded by a low-rise community pavilion. In addition to the office and residential spaces, the scheme also includes multifunctional uses and services such as sports, fitness, medical facilities, gastronomy spaces, a mobility hub, a daycare center, and opportunities for cultural events.
The New Heart development will be located on the Kennedydamm, an area set to undergo major changes in the coming years. The two towers will define the image of the new district, while the surrounding community center creates a lively public space to activate the neighborhood at street level and offer ample spaces for the residents to organize events and gatherings. The community center allows for a large range of activities, from leisure to cultural and social events. The mobility hub ensures easy connections with the city, while a pedestrian bridge on the first floor connects the hub with the bicycle highway and the neighborhood garage, offering opportunities for a wide variety of mobility devices.
The residential tower introduces various flat types for different contemporary family configurations. A smart concept for wet rooms makes it possible for residents to individually configure their flat types, ensuring more flexibility. The second tower offers spaces for employee-focused offices along with additional features such as shared spaces for retreat and concentration, recreational zones, and lush greenery weaved throughout the building like a green ribbon. The incorporated Plug’n’Play office landscape, with cellular offices and open-plan structures distributed over the entire floor, encourages socialization and interaction while offering adaptability and flexibility in response to the changing needs of a modern workspace.
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Mixed-Use Housing: A Tool for Urban ActivationSustainability measures are integrated into the design, which features an energy-generating façade with integrated photovoltaic surfaces, geothermal heating and cooling, district heating supply, and E-mobility charging infrastructure. The massing of the two towers enables ventilation and wind comfort, while the design of the facades uses prefabricated, recyclable, and circular modules to ensure adaptability and fair use of resources.
Our design is not only highly sustainable and healthy for the people who will live, work and visit, it also supports a highly diverse mix of functions that will enliven the site around the clock and add a cultural edge to this area of the city. It will truly celebrate the connecting power of culture and high-quality public space. - Ben van Berkel, Founder and Principal Architect, UNStudio
Recently, UNStudio received the commission to create a mixed-use large-scale development on the waterfront of Nanjing, China, demonstrating the advantages of creating multifunctional residential neighborhoods that integrate a variety of functions, from offices to services, public spaces, and community-centered facilities. Together with HKS and Gehl, UNStudio has also been selected to lead a major expansion of the public transit system in Austin, Texas. The office also features as one of the finalists of the 2023 World Architecture Festival, along with architects such as Foster + Partners, Grimshaw Architects, MAD Architects, WilkinsonEyre, Safdie Architects, and Nikken Sekkei.
