The building is located at the junction of Westenhellweg and Hansastrasse and thus puts its stamp on two central city axes in Dortmund's pedestrian zone. The floors in the three-storey base each offer 1,700m2 of retail space . A five-storey tower with a staggered storey rises from the western part of the building, which is largely unused due to the difficult access. As one of the two staircases had been demolished a few years ago, the only way to reach the single, building-high staircase was via a 30-metre-long rescue tunnel.
The modernisation and gutting of the retail space, as well as the development of the tower, will create an attractive building concept for retail, office and practice space. An attractive main entrance with a staircase leading across all floors with a passenger lift, as well as a uniform façade design, give the building an inviting appearance.
Location and building fabric are a real challenge
The project presents the team with a number of hurdles. For example, the planning documents often did not reflect the actual situation, as the building, which was constructed in 1959, had been repeatedly extended over the years.
The location in the pedestrianised zone also made construction work as well as site logistics difficult in several respects. The construction site area in the pedestrian zone is small and largely covered by trees that are protected. These areas cannot be reached by the construction crane and can only be used to a limited extent. Last but not least, the European Football Championships taking place in June and July 2024 will also affect the construction work, as Dortmund is one of the German venues. The European Championships even require a temporary dismantling of the construction site so as not to obstruct pedestrian traffic.
"A revitalisation project is always characterised by uncertainties and requires particularly flexible scheduling. During the demolition work in particular, we had to constantly readjust due to the large number of unknown factors in the existing building. Planning the construction processes with Lean Construction is therefore essential to keep the project successfully on track. The upcoming deadlines can be discussed and optimised in constant dialogue with our subcontractors," says project manager Dirk Schroeter.