There is a sense of vibrancy at the König-Heinrich-Platz in ... - Magazin

Mediteranean Flair:with the CityPalaisand Forum, Duisburgwins points in thecompetition amongRuhr area cities.This increases the quality of lifein the central residential areas.Centers like the CityPalais inDuisburg also tie-in buyingpower and prevent customersfrom taking their businessto the outlying areas”, saysMatthias Jacob, Head of ExecutiveManagement at BilfingerBerger’s Building division.Culture andentertainmentModern shopping centers blendin organically to the existingcity core – both in terms of theirappearance and in terms ofwhat they offer. The CityPalaisDuisburg offers culture, shoppingand entertainment. Thisallows the Palais to attract visitorseven after the shops closeand enlivens the surroundingstreets. And just a stone’s throwfrom the strikingly roundedshape of the Palais, anothershopping center is being built:the Forum Duisburg.Competitivein the greatermetropolitan areaThe two centers give Duisburg’scity a new appearance and arehelping to advance structuralchange in the city. In order toremain competitive in the Ruhrarea, urban planners in Duisburgdeveloped a master planin cooperation with the architectLord Norman Foster. “It isour ambition to strengthen theidentity of the city. On the onehand, we are implementingexisting infrastructure and onthe other we are driving theurban consolidation in order tocreate a modern city in whichcultural and commercial functionscan be linked to the activitiesof the inhabitants”, commentsthe star architect. LordNorman Foster developedthe plans for the re-design ofDuisburg’s inner harbor andtransformed industrial wasteland– a problem for many citiesin the Ruhr area – into multifacetedurban environmentswith residential areas, restaurantsand business parks.The two inner-city shoppingcenters form an importantelement in the master plan andattract additional capital toDuisburg. Thanks to the convenienttraffic connections – withsubway, two highway connectionsand the main railwaystation nearby – the new heartof the city has a huge populationarea to draw from: about11 million people can reach theCityPalais and Forum within amaximum 60-minute drive.Bilfinger Berger’s expertsgave particularly high priorityto noise insulation in the constructionof the Mercatorhalle.During concerts no noise fromoutside can seep into thehall – of course there can be noseeping the other way, either.The special construction ofthe floors ensures that thegoings-on in the shoppingcenter, which is below thephilharmonic, cannot be heardin the concert hall: the floor isseparated from the roof below