Westgate (Cologne)
Westgate is an office and commercial building on Habsburgerring 2 in Cologne's old town south . The topping-out ceremony was celebrated in June 2010, and the building with rental space for restaurants, retail and companies was ready for occupancy in mid-2011. The area on which Westgate was built is identified as an area with high development potential as part of the urban development master plan for Cologne's inner city . The client is the ERGO insurance group , on whose behalf the Munich-based MEAG is carrying out the construction.
building
The seven-storey building offers around 31,600 m² of gross floor area (GFA) for office, retail and catering use. There is an underground car park with 162 spaces under the building. On the inside, Westgate has an atrium on the first floor that is open to visitors and accessed via an outside staircase. At a height of 26 meters, a transparent domed roof spans the bright inner courtyard. The office floors are reached by interior panoramic elevators and an escalator.
Sustainable construction
The facade has a large proportion of windows, which contributes to the considerable use of daylight. This in turn is a component of the building's energy concept, in which regenerative energy is used: groundwater is pumped from six of the building's own wells from a depth of 25 meters. The groundwater temperature is used to heat or cool the building via heat exchangers and heat pumps. The groundwater used in this way then runs back into the groundwater reservoir, the so-called aquifer storage , so that a natural cycle is created. Westgate's primary energy needs are more than 30 percent lower than those of mixed-use buildings. The CO 2 emissions are more than 50 percent lower. All office floors of the property cover their needs exclusively with renewable energies, the retail and catering areas also use district heating. Westgate was awarded the so-called “GreenBuilding Certificate” of the European Union for its sustainable construction and energy efficiency. After the Cologne Oval Offices, Westgate is the second MEAG building in Cologne to boast this award.
Architects
The Düsseldorf architects Hentrich-Petschnigg & Partner HPP were commissioned to plan the building .
Construction progress
In June 2010, Westgate celebrated the topping-out ceremony at which Cologne's Lord Mayor Jürgen Roters praised Westgate as a source of inspiration for Cologne as a location in front of around 200 guests. With Westgate, so Roters, Cologne's Rudolfplatz is gaining in profile. Daniel von Borries , board member of the ERGO insurance group and in this function building owner and investor, was among the speakers at the topping-out ceremony, as were Gerhard G. Feldmeyer, managing partner of HPP GmbH & Co. KG (architects of Westgate) and MEAG managing director Günter Manuel Giehr . On August 1, 2011, the first tenants moved into the Westgate office and commercial building.
history
Medieval moat wall
During the construction work, parts of the medieval city fortifications were exposed. This archaeologically documented trench barrier wall was used to absorb the pressure of the embankments on the historical fortifications. The 1.30 meter wide wall should remain visible in the finished building.
Origin of the name "Westgate"
The name Westgate is intended to recall the history of the place: In the Middle Ages, after their coronation in Aachen Cathedral, the kings moved over the west axis Aachener Straße -Neumarkt-Dom to the reliquary of the Three Wise Men in Cologne Cathedral. The entrance gate was the Hahnentorburg - the Westgate is being built directly adjacent.
Web links
- westgate.de - Official website
Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ′ 5.2 " N , 6 ° 56 ′ 19.8" E