Kranhaus

Kranhäuser viewed from the Rhine: Kranhaus Süd ("south"), Kranhaus Eins ("one") and Kranhaus Nord ("north")

Rear view of the Kranhäuser upon completion in March 2011

Kranhaus ("crane house", plural Kranhäuser) refers to each one of the three 17-story buildings in the Rheinauhafen of Cologne. Their shape, an upside-down "L", is reminiscent of the harbor cranes that were used to load cargo off of and on to ships, two of which were left standing as monuments when the harbor was redesigned as a residential and commercial quarter in the early 2000s. Each building is approx. 62 meters in height, 70,20 meters long, and 33,75 meters wide. They were designed by Aachen architect Alfons Linster and Hamburg-based Hadi Teherani of BRT Architekten. Construction began on October 16, 2006, and the first building was completed in 2008.

The southern and middle buildings provide approx. 16,000 square meters (172,200 square feet) of office space each, on 15 levels. The northern one harbors 133 luxury apartments totalling approx. 15,000 square meters on 18 levels.

Award

The middle building, Kranhaus eins, was given the "MIPIM Award 2009" in the category "Business Centre" at the MIPIM in Cannes on March 12, 2009.

External links

• Kranhaus1 website
• Rheinauhafen website