The construction of two new buildings was carried out as part of the comprehensive reconstruction project of the main square of Koblenz. It is not for nothing that this square is called Central (Zentralplatz) - here not only the main streets of the old part of the city intersect, but also stops of all major public transport routes are located. It is clear that there are always a lot of people here, but pedestrian flows until recently raged on the square more than chaotically. Therefore, the reconstruction was supposed to make this space convenient and understandable for the townspeople. Benthem Crouwel Architects, whose project won an international competition in 2007, proposed to achieve this with two new buildings, the shape and dimensions of which will set new directions for pedestrian and transport movement.
The cultural center, which houses the museum of the Mittelrhein wine region, the tourist office and the Koblenz public library, has a triangle shape with noticeably rounded corners. Its facades are faced with glass, on which an abstract geometric pattern has been applied by silk-screen printing, and the central foyer of the first floor is designed as a continuation of the square, which can be accessed from any side of the building.
And if the cultural center, thanks to its seemingly flowing silky facades, seems almost a mirage from afar, then the shopping center is designed as a more solid building, the brutality and impressive dimensions (20,000 m2) of which are leveled with the help of the upper floor immersed in greenery. However, upon closer examination it turns out that this is not vertical gardening, but three-dimensional models of grape leaves painted in different shades of green, made of aluminum. The three lower floors of the shopping center, including one underground, are occupied by shops and cafes, while the upper three are used for parking with a capacity of 740 cars.
A. M.
