- architect: SUPERGELB ARCHITEKTEN
- scope of work: concept design - tender documentation
The polymorphic Capricorn Bridge in Düsseldorf's Medienhafen connects two buildings of the Uniper company headquarters: the 'Capricornhaus' by GATERMANN+SCHOSSIG and the 'FLOAT' by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
The steel and glass structure is formally set apart from the two very different buildings as an independent element. The complex shape of the bridge is derived from the differing building axes and entry points into the buildings.
The central pylon, where these building lines intersect, supports the entire structure, so that no vertical loads are transferred to the existing buildings. The supporting structure of the 37 m long, folded bridge consists of steel tubes on which the trapezoidal and triangular glass elements rest directly. In this enclosed facetted "tube", a metal footbridge leads over the Holzstrasse at a height of 4m.
The minimalist lighting, adapted to the architecture, traces the shape of the path and makes it appear almost floating in the evening hours. The gradient of the printing with increasing and decreasing dots on the glass elements removes any sense of space between the wall, ceiling and floor. Seen from the outside, the polygonal design of the bridge makes it look like a cut "diamond" that glows from the inside to the outside as soon as it gets dark outside.
- Photos: HGEsch