METRO CAMPUS area: METRO PROPERTIES and the city of Düsseldorf initiates a voluntary urban design competition
27 November 2020Download as PDF
“With the urban design competition, we are inviting architects and urban developers to develop ideas for the integration of living and working space, retail, restaurants, leisure and local recreation in the design of the METRO Campus of the future with the goal of creating a diversified and lively urban district in the heart of the Düsseldorf metropolitan region. We very much look forward to receiving their proposals”, says Christophe Bretxa, Chief Executive Officer of METRO PROPERTIES.
The 9.2-hectare property in the district of Grafenberg is embedded in an upscale urban environment. Its location between the city centre, Grafenberg forest, Düsseltal and Flingern makes this area unique. From an urban development and real estate management perspective, this promising location therefore offers a high development potential. Based on the idea of a mixed utilisation, the urban development competition shall take the different requirements into account. The urban planning solution shall consider the international headquarters of METRO AG as well as residential concepts and innovative integrations of green spaces, restaurants, and retail businesses.
“With the decision of the Committee for Planning and Urban Development, the starting signal for the competition 'METRO CAMPUS' was given, which is one of the largest projects currently underway in the state capital Düsseldorf. Thanks to the participation of the citizens in the online participation last June, ideas and hints could be collected. We are expecting varied and exciting designs for a quarter of the future”, says Cornelia Zuschke, Chief Officer for Planning, Construction, Mobility and Real Estate of the state capital Düsseldorf.
The two-stage urban design competition is open to national and international architects and urban planning offices. The application and competition phase will kick off in December 2020. In the first stage of the process an expert jury of representatives from METRO PROPERTIES as well as politics and the city administration of Düsseldorf will select the top 5 designs. In an interim presentation the designs will be presented to the public. Citizens are invited to submit comments and ideas to the participants for the second working phase. In this second, more in-depth phase, the designs will be further elaborated by the architecture and urban planning offices. In June 2021 the winning design of the competition will be chosen by the jury of experts. The designs from the urban planning competition will then be publicly exhibited on the METRO Campus.
On this basis, the Management Board of METRO AG will decide on how to proceed. It will then also be decided whether the current METRO store and the head office of METRO Germany will move within Düsseldorf from early 2026. The head office of METRO AG will remain on the METRO Campus.
For more information, please visit: www.metro-campus.de.
METRO is a leading international wholesale company with food and non-food assortments that specialises on serving the needs of hotels, restaurants, and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent traders. Around the world, METRO has some 16 million customers who can choose whether to shop in one of the large-format stores, order online and collect their purchases at the store or have them delivered. METRO in addition also supports the competitiveness of entrepreneurs and own businesses with digital solutions and thereby contributes to cultural diversity in retail and hospitality. Sustainability is a key pillar of METRO’s business. METRO has been in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the past 6 years. The company operates in 34 countries and employs more than 100,000 people world-wide. In financial year 2018/19, METRO generated sales of €27.1 billion.
METRO PROPERTIES is the real estate company of METRO AG, a leading international wholesale and food expert, operating in 34 countries and employing more than 100,000 people worldwide. The real estate company combines comprehensive wholesale and retail competence, highly developed real estate expertise and implementation capability. METRO PROPERTIES collaborates with local communities, business partners and selected investors to develop innovative and sustainable wholesale, retail, and mixed-use concepts. On both the national and international level, METRO PROPERTIES pursues active and value-enhancing asset management. Business partners and customers receive competent support worldwide. Apart from its headquarters in Germany, the company has operations in Poland and Turkey. In other countries, the company is represented by regional management and the METRO team.
