MVRDV's koolkiel redevelops a city block in germany tailored to its creative community

rotterdam-based architecture practice MVRDV has been selected as the designer of a 65,000-square-metre mixed-use complex in kiel, germany. dubbed koolkiel, the proposal will redevelop a post-industrial site with an impressive structure hosting a hotel, offices, residences, commercial space, and an event space. by using a flexible design system — rather than a fixed and unchangeable plan — the project adapts easily to the needs and desires of the community as its development progresses.

all images © MVRDV

currently occupied by a large, single-store building, the site has become notable in recent times for its connection to germany’s famous werner comics, which were printed in the building from the early 1980s. this building is now known as W8 medienzentrum and is home to a variety of companies working mostly in media and the creative industries. this has given the area a unique and charismatic identity, which strongly influenced MVRDV’s subsequent design. it’s because of this that koolkiel’s proposal calls to retain the existing structure as commercial units, topping it with apartments.

next to the preexisting building, the dutch practice has proposed a new building with a zigzagging plinth containing offices and shops, topped by several cubic blocks of housing, and a small tower of offices spaces. at the end of the site, a 250-room hotel tower connects to the before mentioned plinth through a public event space which will be used to host exhibitions and events organized by the community.

the exterior spaces are key to the project, seeing a courtyard between the buildings filled with a variety of street furniture for the residents to occupy. a rooftop park snakes its way around the three cubic blocks of housing while the project’s most eye-catching element is the façade panels, made from fiber reinforced concrete, which sit in front of the window and display a variety of icons inspired by the creative output of the locals. by considering the design not as a fixed concept but as a flexible system, the building as it is eventually constructed might fall anywhere on a spectrum of options, from a conservative series of boxes to a wacky yet charismatic collection of cantilevers and iconography.

‘in a location with such a dynamic and creative existing community, it’s obvious that the community should have a say in this development,’ comments jacob van rijs, principal and cofounder of MVRDV. ‘koolkiel is not only inspired by them, but it also allows them to tailor the proposal to their wishes—we’re presenting them with not just a design, but also a question: ‘how ‘kool’ do you want it?’

project info:

project name: koolkiel
location: kiel, germany
year: 2018+
client: kap horn gmbh
client spokesperson: ralph müller-beck, staatssekretär a.d. / state secretary (ret.)
size & program: ca. 65,000 sqm (hotel, office, event, restaurants, shops, housing, collaborative offices)

architect: MVRDV
principal-in-charge: jacob van rijs
design team: philipp kramer, bartlomiej markowski, ruggero buffo, bartosz karasinski, christine sohar, daniel mayer, and eleonora lattanzi
visualization: antonio luca coco, luca piattelli, masoud khodadadi
images: © mvrdv

partners

structure: werner sobek
fire: wenzel + wenzel
cost calculation: wenzel + wenzel