At the heart of Düsseldorf – on Berliner Allee, specifically – a new office and commercial building reached completion last year. Vertikum brings together an impressive mix of uses in a prime location nestled between shopping boulevards, the Johanneskirche, and Martin-Luther-Platz: a flagship retail space, roughly 4,000 m^² of office space, and a generous roof terrace. The striking structure makes a bold architectural statement with its commanding vertical form, rising nine storeys and creating an unexpectedly cosmopolitan presence. "Of course, nine storeys is relatively modest in absolute terms—Düsseldorf isn't Manhattan, nor does it aspire to be," says Caspar Schmitz-Morkramer. "But Vertikum makes a confident statement precisely because it celebrates what Düsseldorf is." Commissioned jointly by the Freundlieb Group and Convalor Projektpartner GmbH, the building was designed and executed by architectural firm caspar., selected through a rigorous quality-driven design competition. The composition follows a classical hierarchy: the base anchors the ground and first floors, gaining visual weight through its generous double height. At the crown—floors seven and eight—a graceful setback creates a striking counterpoint to the adjacent structures. This architectural gesture yields an unexpected benefit: a sheltered 115 m^² roof terrace nestled in the recessed space above. From base to cornice, the façade is dressed in a bespoke natural stone skin. Additional focal points include bold circular slabs at the building's corners and sculptural S-curve pillar cladding that adds visual depth to the façade.

As the main tenant, SMP Strategy Consulting moved into the fifth to eighth floors and also commissioned caspar. to develop the interior design, which was intended to create a cool yet human and homely atmosphere. In line with New Work principles, the office floors offer contemporary working options: alone or in pairs in glass cubicle offices, at large workbenches in open-plan spaces, in phone boxes or informally in the kitchenette. With rounded corners, the dark stained oak joinery furniture echoes the characteristic design language of the architecture. The ground floor provides space for the showroom of Italian furniture manufacturer Minotti. It also houses a bicycle garage with 44 parking spaces. Thanks to the dense public transport network, there was no need for a separate underground car park, so the building services, which are usually installed on the roof, could be accommodated in the vacant basement space.

www.freundlieb.de

Photos:
caspar./HGEsch
www.studiocaspar.com
www.hgesch.de

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 02|24)