Dokken Towers as reinterpretation of the traditional Esbjerg urban block structure

6:00 am UTC June 26, 2015 Jun 26, 2015 | by: C.F. Møller | Architecture

(Photo by: C.F. Møller)

Dokken Towers is the name of a major new mix-use project within the port of Esbjerg, with a new urban quarter linking the city and the water with attractive and vibrant urban facilities, residential and commercial spaces and a hotel.

Dokken Towers is part of an overall masterplan for Dokken, whose purpose is to ensure that existing buildings and new architecture together facilitate the city's access and contact to the harbour and the water, physically and visually.

The location on the promontory between land and water, as the outpost towards the open, grandiose and beautiful wadden sea, has had a significant impact on both the planning and design of the masterplan.

Connection to Landgangen

With its connection to the recently launched bridge project Landgangen, Dokken Towers is part of connecting the city to the harbour. The project concludes the new green area stretching all the way from the city park and down to the water, and is part of the new raised promenade that protects the entire area from flooding.

A bastion acts as flood protection and foundation for the buildings, public spaces and parking garages, and forms a public quay where large thoroughfares, sitting steps and small squares give residents and visitors views and connection to the water.

A new green park forms the heart of the settlement, and an extended Englandskaj quay-stretch allows for more large-scale public activities like the call of vessels such as training ships and cruise ships.

Reinterpretation of the traditional Esbjerg block

Dokken Towers is a reinterpretation of the traditional Esbjerg urban block structure with its characteristic corner lots, and the composition of slender building volumes forms a perimeter which underlines the increasing scale of the surrounding port context.

Dokken Towers’ sculptural outline is characterized by stepping and vertical divisions that form a slender, light and varying silhouette. To the southwest, the location at the tip of the dock is accentuated by a tower that shoots in the air like a wave hitting the wharf - up to 37 floors or 125 meters at the highest point.

Taking Esbjerg to new heights

Dokken Towers will accommodate a wide variety of housing types with sea views, hotel, offices, restaurants, shops, cafes and green areas. In the development's ground floor there will provide spaces for cafes, restaurants and shops for the entire area.

The layout as several interconnected towers, offset in plan and elevation, provides a varying expression of the 'lighthouse' when seen from the bay, the harbour, the city or from the coast; and also provides great flexibility in the planning and design of the individual building parts.

The simple yet elegant design of the tower complex respects the unique seaside views and light conditions, but also mitigates the wind and turbulence that may occur around tall buildings by stepping and offsetting the volumes. The buildings are positioned to provide the central green park plenty of sun, while the shadows primarily are cast over the water and to the north, where there is no housing.

The project comprises a total of about 40,000 m2, and is designed for the developer Pedersen Group A / S Esbjerg by C.F. Møller in cooperation with Schønherr Landscape.