THE WID, located at Widdersdorfer Straße 158 and 188a in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, will be a new urban location for working, staying overnight, fitness, and dining. The plots were acquired in 2020 and 2022 and are currently undergoing a zoning process. Düsseldorf-based project developer Alfons & alfreda is developing a total of around 95,000 m² of gross floor area in Cologne-Ehrenfeld.
At the heart of the project are ten independent buildings, which are physically divided, individually designed, and marketed separately, each with its own address. This structure allows for a wide range of uses and offers flexibility for all categories of prospective tenants.
The design with its individually designed facades is the result of a two-stage architectural competition. A total of four planning offices emerged from this, coordinated by the general planner Phase 5 GmbH from Düsseldorf. Despite their individual design, the buildings form a harmonious unit – achieved by a connecting base made of clinker and arch elements.
THE WID primarily offers modern office space that meets the highest sustainability standards. The offering is complemented by a 200-room hotel, a fitness studio, a variety of restaurants, and other complementary ground floor uses.
The result is a lively neighborhood with an urban mix and a high quality of life – a place that combines work, experience, and encounters in a contemporary way.
The Düsseldorf-based firm Phase 5 GmbH is responsible for developing the development plan and general planning. Phase 5 GmbH is responsible for this.
"The neighborhood, with its public streets and large and small squares, is something to look forward to. For the neighborhood—in the broader sense as well—there will be new places where life can unfold. In the urban design as well as in the design of the buildings, we have used a language that is binding and that everyone understands. The collaboration with the other planners has repeatedly steered our view of the design in a new direction and made the architecture of the quarter more diverse." Martin Welp, Managing Director of Phase 5 GmbH.
"First and foremost, we would like to thank our partner Phase 5 and the entire planning team for their great work over the past weeks and months.
The submission of the building applications is an essential and significant milestone for the project. It reinforces our position of offering a great new office product in the west of Cologne as quickly as possible, despite the continuing extremely difficult market conditions." Adds Friedrich Weil, CEO of Alfons & alfreda.
