Kranhaus Süd, Office building in Rheinauhafen, Innenstadt, Cologne, Germany
Kranhaus Süd is an office building in the Rheinauhafen, the former port district of Cologne's Innenstadt neighborhood, right on the riverbank. Its shape is an L that extends out over the waterfront promenade, and its facade is almost entirely glass.
The building was completed in 2009 and was the first of three structures known as the Kranhäuser to be finished along the Rheinauhafen. The trio as a whole draws on the image of the old cargo cranes that once lined this stretch of riverbank.
The building sits in the Rheinauhafen district, a former working port that today mixes offices, restaurants, and waterfront walkways. A café on the ground floor serves as a meeting point for people working or passing through the area.
The building stands in the Rheinauhafen and is easy to reach on foot from Cologne's old town by walking along the riverside path. Since it is an office building, the interior is not open to the public, but the exterior and the surrounding promenade are freely accessible.
The building heats and cools its spaces using groundwater and a local heat network, with no visible radiators anywhere inside. The office ceilings contain water pipes that run through them to keep the temperature even throughout the day.
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