13-07-2022 in Competition, Dortmund

Winning design: Bülowstraße parking garage

New mobility storage facility at the Port of Dortmund

A new district garage, a so-called ‘Mobility-Speicher’, is being built for the Speicherstraße at Dortmund harbor. The concept of Gebr. Lensing Immobiliengesellschaft mbH & Co. KG together with our office SHA Scheffler Helbich Architekten GmbH was convincing and was chosen as the winning design by the jury. Gebrüder Lensing Immobiliengesellschaft and SHA are already working together to convert the old municipal warehouse building into the Lensing Media Port on southern Speicherstrasse.

Mobility storage

The green district garage for the harbor district is designed to be multifunctional and focuses on sustainability. The aim is to create an innovative, attractive, sustainable and flexible mobility and transportation concept at the port. The site for this on the corner of Speicherstraße and Bülowstraße is 3,800 square meters in size. A total of seven parking levels are planned, which will be accessed via a central driveway from Bülowstraße. Two parking levels are planned as an underground garage.

In addition to the multifunctional use, almost 740 parking spaces can be realized thanks to the underground floors. However, this will not only create conventional parking spaces, but also 212 bicycle parking spaces, 30 e-scooter spaces and a flexible, variable number of electric charging stations, including for e-bikes. Because parking garages for cars alone are no longer in keeping with the times; keyword: mobility turnaround. Different forms of transportation are linked together.

Due to the special location of the future “Mobility Speicher”, various store concepts specially tailored to the building, such as a café and bicycle repair shop, also enhance the quality of the location and contribute to the revitalization of the district.

The special design of the facades with an open, inviting gesture does not suggest a parking garage. This largely eliminates the usual fear of parking garages. The overall impression is modern, but with an unconditional reference to the Speicherstadt in the overall location. In addition, comprehensive dismantling options are anchored in the building concept and ensure a high degree of flexibility in use.

Intensive green areas on the façades and the multifunctional roof garden enhance the quality both ecologically and visually. Rainwater is collected, stored in a cistern and used to irrigate the green areas. On the roof garden, you can combine exercise and relaxation with a view over the harbor city.

Part of the uppermost parking area will be used to generate renewable energy to power electric cars and other functions. With a photovoltaic system covering around 1,000 square meters, the mobility storage unit is also an energy storage unit.

Functions and special uses

In addition to its main function as a neighborhood garage, the Mobility-Speicher offers additional services for the Hafenquartier: On level 0, on the west and east sides, there is the opportunity for services such as a bike repair station, e-scooter rental, a café and a flower store. These uses enliven the first floor zone and directly serve the neighborhood.

Above the last parking level, on level +5, there will be a public rooftop park with sports facilities such as outdoor fitness or streetball as well as green and recreational areas for lunch breaks or after work with a panoramic view over the port and the whole of Dortmund. Public access will be limited to daytime hours and closed before sunset. After that, the space can be booked for closed activities, such as company sports, yoga, tango classes, corporate events and port community events. In addition, the rooftop park is monitored by cameras and presence detectors.

The illuminated cascading staircase on the front side begins at the southern main entrance, provides access to all above-ground parking levels and ends at the Rooftop Park.

Facade and envelope

The height of the building is divided into two parts: the higher southern head and the lower northern part, which also have different façade designs.

The façade of the northern section makes reference to the industrial/commercial heritage of the location. Vertical pilaster strips form the supporting structure of the parking garage. The horizontal slats in between provide the necessary glare protection with sufficient ventilation. The alternately suspended plant troughs allow for lush greenery.

The southern head is covered with a transparent expanded metal skin. Here the plant troughs lie behind this skin, which will turn into a green veil over time.

Sustainability and subsequent use

Above the 4th parking level, a transparent PV roof indented from the outer edges is planned. A cistern is installed under level -1 to irrigate the façade greenery, which is also used for rainwater retention.

If the need for parking spaces is reduced in the course of the traffic turnaround, the southern parking ramp can be dismantled and replaced by a building for a different use with a direct connection to the northern part, which will continue to be used.

Urban development

The Mobility-Speicher, the new district garage, is being built in a prominent location in the reinventing harbor district: as a link between the southern and northern Speicherstrasse, it marks the central entrance to the district.

The urban planning setting and volumetry follow the development plan draft resulting from the COBE framework planning. The southern, elevated part of the structure stands out in its façade and marks the central joint of the Speicherstrasse harbor district.

Quality of stay

“A district for everyone is being created on Speicherstrasse, which will create many jobs. The public space will also be largely car-free and offer a high quality of stay,” explains Dortmund’s Lord Mayor Thomas Westphal. “With the Mobility Hub at this central location, which connects the northern and southern Speicherstrasse, we are not only covering a significant part of the prescribed parking space requirements, but also putting a big exclamation mark behind our ambitions. In this way, the district will also do justice to the changed mobility behavior of Dortmund residents.”