Spectacular, four-part high-rise complex with CO2-reduced ECODUR concrete from Dyckerhoff

Since August 2024, a staggered building has been under construction at the beginning of Düsseldorf's Kaistraße / corner of Franziusstraße on a plot of land covering over 3,100 m², closing the last remaining gap between Zollhof and Kaistraße. It completes the skyline of the commercial port, which over the years has developed from a dreary industrial area into a trendy district of the Rhine metropolis.

The four staggered towers are between ten and 18 stories high and rise up to over 72 meters into the sky. Beneath them is a three-story underground parking garage. They are being built on a turnkey basis according to plans by renowned architect Christoph Ingenhoven (with ingenhoven associates) on behalf of the Hamburg-based MOMENI Group by the consortium UNIQ TOWERS, consisting of the two companies Adolf Lupp GmbH + Co. KG (shell and interior work) and MEDICKE GmbH (façade).

Fair-faced concrete brackets span the individual buildings and mark the upper boundary for the green roof terraces. However, they are not only eye-catchers but also have an important structural function: since there are no classic exterior walls and only a few interior supports, they carry the concrete ceilings.

The diagonal alignment of the buildings on the site directs sunlight optimally onto the newly designed public spaces. These spaces invite passers-by and guests of the restaurants and retail outlets on the ground floor to linger, with generous glass fronts offering an open view. The upper floors will feature flexible office space that allows transparency in both directions thanks to the highly transparent double façade. The total gross floor area is approximately 30,600 m².

In addition to glass, concrete is one of the main materials. A total of around 17,500 m³ will be needed on the construction site by the end of 2025, when the shell is scheduled to be completed. In-situ concrete is used to construct components such as the underground parking garage, the floor slab, all walls, ceilings, and supports. It comes from the Rhein-Ruhr branch of Dyckerhoff Beton GmbH & Co. KG, a subsidiary of Dyckerhoff GmbH, which belongs to the Italian company Buzzi S.p.A. The two main delivery plants are in Düsseldorf and Neuss. Concrete of strength classes C12/15 up to high-strength concrete C80/95 is being used. The majority of the 16,500 m³ of concrete delivered by the end of September corresponds to strength class C30/37 and consistency class F4. Over 90% of the concrete already delivered is CO₂-reduced ECODUR concrete. The ECODUR concretes comply with CO₂ reduction level 1 according to the CO₂ module of the CSC (Concrete Sustainability Council) and come from the Düsseldorf and Neuss ready-mixed concrete plants, which are certified with platinum or gold according to the CSC. The ECODUR concrete used thus has a CO₂ load that is at least 30% lower than the corresponding industry reference value for the same concrete strength class. The concrete is based on CEM III/A 42.5 N blast furnace cement from the Dyckerhoff cement plant in Neuss. Local Rhine gravel with a maximum grain size of 32 or 16 mm is used as aggregate.

The narrow access to the construction site and the navigation of the truck mixers to the pump pose particular logistical challenges. Due to the parking garage below, the pump had to be aligned extremely precisely to ensure stability. The concrete was transported to its installation site on the top floors using buckets.

The name UNIQ says it all in this project: it was planned according to the circular economy principle so that the high-quality building materials used can be returned to the material cycle as pure as possible and without waste when the building is demolished. Intensively greened roof terraces not only offer breathtaking panoramic views of the Rhine and the city of Düsseldorf but also improve the microclimate in combination with the green spaces around the building and the titanium dioxide-coated façade elements. The goal is to achieve the gold standard of the LEED certification system and WiredScore platinum certification upon completion at the end of 2026.

Photos: Title, 8 – Visualization: MOMENI Group / Christoph Ingenhoven and ingenhoven associates

For further information, please contact:
Iris Weise-Rosch, Tel.: +49 611 676-1187
marketing@dyckerhoff.com