Featured Project
Close to heaven
Real-estate company ArA Uborium’s project “Ciel et Terre” (English translation: “Heaven and Earth”) is a fundamental part of the plans to redevelop Derendorf, a former freight yard in Dusseldorf’s Pempelfort district. The project includes both commercial buildings and residential accommodation. The development on the west of the site is directly adjacent to the newly created Berty-Albrecht-Park. It consists of two seven-story plinth buildings and one 18-story tower. The buildings contain a total of 155 high-grade apartments. The high-rise was designed by Molestina Architekten in collaboration with RKW Architektur+ as a perforated façade with generous glazing and continuous balconies on two sides.
However, the most important design element is Colt’s “Solarfin” louvers, which have been drawn across the tower like a curtain. The altogether 132 lightweight louvers (more than 8,000 linear meters in total) boast both two different widths – 60 and 120 centimeters – and heights of 2.5 and 4 meters. The extruded elliptical aluminum profiles shade the residential accommodation from the sun, thus helping to reduce the cooling load. “Clips” which stretch across three stories extend over the projecting areas of the façade, functioning as large outdoor sitting areas which are not covered by the louvers. This makes for the kind of dynamic and varied architecture in which aesthetics and function achieve a convincing symbiosis. (fap)
