ROSSIO Messe City

4. March 2021

© O&O Baukunst Köln GmbH

„Heute sind Bauten selten geworden, die durch ihre pure Größe den Stadtraum definieren können. ROSSIO heißt der erste Block, den man vom Zug aussieht, wenn man von Osten in Köln einfährt. In ein sanftes Rotorange eingetaucht, erstrahlt die geformte Stadtfigur.“

Office building
Location:                                  Cologne Deutz
Details:                                      New office building, Sculptural structure with clinker façade
Client:                                        MesseCity GmbH
Competition:                          Façade competition for the new MesseCity buildings in 2016, 1st prize
Implementation:                   2020–2022
Function:                                  Office building
BGF:                                            30,000 BGF

One of the most important major urban development projects in the city of Cologne is the “MesseCity Köln”, which is situated in a prime location. The development accommodates six office and hotel properties including areas for gastronomy, services and retail. The buildings of the new MesseCity Köln are named after railway stations from all over the world. They are places that stand for exchange, encounter and internationalism. The ROSSIO building, named after Lisbon’s main railway station, is the sixth and final building block.

Designed by O&O Baukunst, the ROSSIO building features a memorable urban figure that has been designed with sculptural specifications. Relationships to Cologne Cathedral and the old exhibition halls tie the building into the city. To achieve structural unity, the emphasis on the head building and the plinth zone has been dispensed with. ROSSIO appears independent and timeless like a sculpture by the sculptor Erwin Heerich, whose consistent geometry unfolds a rich spatial interplay of forces.