Complete gutting creates modern working environments
The office complex was built in 1978 and 1982 in two construction phases using reinforced concrete skeleton construction. Until 2018, it housed the Cologne Job Center and the Employment Agency. After the renovation, it will serve as a location for the Justice Center. Component 1 consists of three segments with 10 or 15 storeys and approx. 26,781 m² of gross floor area as well as a two-storey base. The building blocks, which are arranged at a 45-degree angle to each other, are around 40 meters long and up to 60 meters high, forming a polygon with the four segments of the six-storey component 2 around a calm inner courtyard. Component 3 is formed by a two-storey pavilion in front of it.
The designs by GPB-Architekten envisage a complete gutting of the buildings and a new, structurally optimized façade. A new elevator core and additional emergency staircases will improve the statics and fire protection and enable a flexible interior layout in the future, as previously load-bearing interior walls can be removed. “The building proves that modern and comfortable working environments can also be created in existing buildings. This saves vast amounts of resources and greenhouse gas emissions and enhances the character of the property,” says PORR branch manager Jean Francois Restoueix.
Challenging construction logistics due to inner-city location
Timely completion of the work is the top priority so that the interior work can begin without delay. Within around nine months, ceilings and walls will be demolished, new shafts for the building services will be built, new concrete ceilings will be erected and old concrete components will be renovated. PORR is also carrying out masonry work on the floors near the parapets and in the basement.
Building in the existing structure and the cramped inner-city space also makes construction logistics a real challenge. The materials, including the formwork, have to be transported to the above-ground floors via construction elevators, and to the basement mostly by muscle power.
