harbour properties – Mission
harbour properties has many years of experience developing ambitious and complex projects. We seek to create added value at each location, developing existing structures intelligently and according to the highest architectural, urban planning, and ecological standards.
Since the mid-1990s, we have realized projects in Hamburg, Dresden, and Düsseldorf, among others. A special history connects us to the port of Düsseldorf. At Kaistrasse 16–18, we realized one of the first projects in the Media Harbour. And since 1999, we have been developing Plange Mühle in close cooperation with the historic preservation authorities, shaping its transformation from an industrial site to a commercial one. By 2025, Pier One will be completed. Built above the water on a pile foundation, it will provide a new infrastructure for Düsseldorf’s harbour.
harbour properties – Our History
Oval and Kontor
Consisting of the Oval, an eleven-floor residential tower, and the adjacent Kontor, a six-floor office building, this building ensemble is located on the northern side of Kaiserkai in Hamburg’s HafenCity. The tower’s elliptical form was based on an analysis of local wind conditions.
The ground floor, which is raised five metres above street level by oval, exposed concrete columns, takes up this design language. The facade’s wave-like form is based on the course of the sun and optimized for the best possible views: all 27 apartments have a private terrace and a view of the city centre and the harbour.
Location: Am Kaiserkai, Hamburg
Programme: Residential, office
Construction: 2006–2009
GFA: 12,023 m² (Oval: 5,455 m²; Kontor: 6,568 m²)
Awards: AIV Hamburg Building of the Year 2008, BDA Hamburg Architecture Prize 2010 (2nd prize)
© ingenhoven associates / Götz Wrage
Speditionsstrasse 17
Featuring a spectacular view of the historic city centre and the Rhine promenade, Speditionsstrasse 17 is a modern office building built directly on the water, on a pier at Düsseldorf’s Media Harbour.
A seven-storey and a ten-storey section of the building are connected by a majestic 25-metre-high lobby that extends over all seven floors. Internal bridges provide quick access at different levels; all floors enjoy floor-to-ceiling windows.
Location: Düsseldorf
Programme: Office, retail
Construction: 2001–2002
GFA: 10,000 m²
© ingenhoven associates / HGEsch
Cecilienallee 5
The Consulate General of the United States in Düsseldorf was built in 1953 by Skidmore Owings & Merrill in the middle of an inner-city green belt. Stylistically, it is entirely in the spirit of elegant commercial architecture of post-war modernism. Starting in the late 1980s, it was used as an office building.
From 1997 to 2001, the listed building was renovated. The steel skeleton structure was preserved, along with the facade lined with natural stone. Full-length windows were added on the inside, and louvres were mounted along the wind-protected inner courtyard. These interventions considerably reduced the building’s energy consumption and improved acoustic comfort. All of the floors were equipped with a state-of-the-art technical infrastructure.
Today, a new four-storey building of the same cubature provides a sensitive extension at the rear. Its rational geometry and restrained materials follow the lines of the existing structure without being a mere imitation. The garden’s many old trees were supplemented by hornbeam hedges and an extensive green roof was planted on the flat rooftops.
Location: Düsseldorf
Programme: Office
Construction: 1997–2001
GFA: 5,000 m²
Awards: BDA Award for Good Buildings 2000, Architecture Prize North Rhine-Westphalia 2001
© ingenhoven associates / HGEsch
Kaistrasse 16–18
The three-part complex at Kaistrasse 16–18 is located a few hundred metres south of the television station WDR and the Düsseldorf TV tower. It was one of the first projects built in Düsseldorf’s Media Harbour. Three internationally renowned architectural firms were involved in the planning. ingenhoven architects converted and expanded a former warehouse building from 1953. The originally closed facades were replaced by generous floor-to-ceiling windows, and two fully glazed stacked floors were added. David Chipperfield Architects added a new nine-storey building, and Steven Holl Architects added a thirteen-storey high-rise.
Programme of Kaistrasse 16: Offices, studios (complex includes showrooms, exhibition areas, gastronomy)
Construction: 1995–1997
GFA Kaistrasse 16: 5,700 m²
Awards: BDA Good Building Award 1997
© ingenhoven associates / HGEsch