
A new face for Cologne-Kalk - long brick slips in architectural fire for modern office ensemble
“There's always something going on to the right of the Rhine” is the motto of Cologne's Kalk district. This was not always the case: in 1992, a comprehensive urban redevelopment project was launched in Kalk to free the district from its shadowy existence on the edge of a chemical factory. Around 17 years later, the results are impressive: Gaps between buildings were closed, living space created and the infrastructure culturally upgraded. This successful urban development turned the once “unattractive” Kalk into a popular business and office location. One of these prestigious properties is now “adorned” with 5000 m2 of clinker brick slips from Ströher.
KF Architekten, Cologne
Cologne-Kalk, Germany
StoTherm Vario, Sto SE & Co. KGaA, Stühlingen
5,000 m² area, 55,000 corner angles, 1,200 lintel angles

The long-format custom-made architectural branding covers the compact “B3 Campus” office property in Dillenburger Strasse, which was handed over to the City of Cologne as a tenant by project developer OSMAB at the beginning of 2018 after a two-year construction phase. The two-part building ensemble offers an impressive 13,500 m² of rental space; the design was provided by Cologne-based KF Architekten. Their concept is convincing at first glance: bright, friendly, open and functional. Low window parapets and a connecting bridge between the two parts of the building ensure transparency and open up the cubature to the outside. This architectural quality is continued in the interior thanks to the large window formats.


The industrial-looking facade provides a further insight into the history of the building site: in the first half of the 19th century, Cologne's population doubled to around 100,000 inhabitants. In order to meet the increased demand for building materials for housing, storage areas for sand, lime and - fittingly - bricks were also built in the area of today's B3 Campus in Kalk. That was yesterday; today, the gleaming building on a historic site is also impressive thanks to the clinker brick slips from Ströher. The choice fell on an architectural firing specially developed for the building, which captures the history of the location and breaks up the seemingly industrial character of a classic brick look.
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