LUX 121, Cologne

The office complex was built in 1978 and 1982 in two construction phases using a reinforced concrete skeleton construction. Until 2018, the Cologne Job Centre and the Employment Agency were housed there. After the rehabilitation, it will serve as the location for the Justice Centre. Part 1 consists of three segments with 10 or 15 floors and approx. 26,781 m² of gross floor area, as well as a two-storey base. The building blocks, which are arranged at an angle of 45 degrees to each other, are around 40 metres long and up to 60 metres high. Together with the four segments of the six-storey part 2, they form a polygon around a quiet inner courtyard. Part 3 is formed by a two-storey pavilion in front of it.

The designs by the architectural firm GPB-Architekten include a complete gutting of the buildings, as well as a new, structurally optimised façade. A new lift core and additional emergency staircases improve statics and fire protection and enable a flexible interior layout in the future, as previously load-bearing interior walls can be removed. ‘The property proves that modern, comfortable working environments can be created in existing buildings as well. This saves vast amounts of resources and greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing the character of the property,’ said PORR branch manager Jean Francois Restoueix.

Demanding construction logistics due to inner-city location

The timely execution of the work has the highest priority so that the interior construction can begin without delay. Within about nine months, ceilings and walls will be demolished, new shafts for building services will be built, new concrete ceilings will be constructed, and old concrete components will be renovated. In addition, PORR is carrying out bricklaying work on the floors in the area of the parapets and in the basement.

The renovation work on existing buildings and the limited space in the city centre also make the construction logistics a real challenge. The materials, including the formwork, have to be transported to the floors above ground level via construction lifts, and in most cases the materials have to be transported to the basement floor by hand.