Since June, there's a fresh meeting place in Flingern-Süd for anyone passionate about sustainably designed workspaces and living environments: "cokon" on Pinienstraße is both a creative hub and a carefully curated showroom. The vision is to unite architects, designers, urban planners, real estate professionals, and startups around a shared mission: advancing sustainable building and design practices together. Behind it all is kplus concept, a Düsseldorf-based creative agency specializing in communication and interior design. They founded the platform and continue to host regular events and programming here. The space also showcases a curated selection of resource-conscious products for construction, renovation, furnishing, and outfitting.

When Bettina and Markus Kratz first launched their design studio kplus concept, they used the ground floor of this striking red brick building on Pinienstraße as their photography studio and creative workspace. Today, the founders have reimagined the space as a vibrant hub for sustainable design, creative partnership, and forward-thinking innovation. "We're building a network that doesn't ask 'What's in it for me?' but rather 'What can we accomplish together?'" explains Bettina Kratz. "It's about hands-on learning around issues that matter to us daily – challenges that require the combined expertise and knowledge of many different players," adds her partner Markus Kratz. "The truth is, we're only just beginning to embrace sustainable thinking and practices across most industries." The philosophy extends to every detail of "cokon" itself. Rather than gutting and modernizing the former offices, the team thoughtfully rebuilt the space using reusable modules and ecological materials—creating flexible possibilities for how the space can be used. The heart of it all is the "Loft": a curated showroom, event venue, and collaborative workspace designed entirely with sustainable furnishings and materials. A modular shelving system—crafted from raw ash using only wooden joints—displays an inspiring range of eco-conscious products: tabletops from recycled hotel linens, seating made from reclaimed ocean plastic, lamps formed from papier-mâché. Each piece embodies the principle of reduce, reuse, recycle. The adjoining kitchen-living area retains its original tiled floors and serves as a gathering space for shared meals and conversation. Completing the offering is the "Dock," a focused work zone featuring refurbished office desks that demonstrate how responsible furniture renewal can work in practice. "cokon" is also available to rent for events and sustainability-focused workshops.

www.cokon.de
www.kplus-konzept.de

Images:
kplus concept

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 03|25)