The Mercator One office building stands as a symbol of pioneering architecture and serves as an iconic gateway to the city of Duisburg, Germany. Its distinctive facade extends along the block’s short axis, gradually tapering into a fan-shaped form from top to bottom. This design guides commuters arriving from the central railway station and pedestrians from the city center towards the building. The building’s unique silhouette creates striking interior and exterior views. Measuring approximately 100 meters in length, 17 meters in width, and 26 meters in height, Mercator One is a prominent landmark in the city.
Despite its matte metal facade in anthracite color, Mercator One’s architectural presence is striking yet maintains a relatively conservative aesthetic. The expansive glass curtain wall enhances the building’s transparency and lightness. The staircase is thoughtfully integrated within the building’s core, preserving a clean, independent facade that is methodically divided into rectangular grids.
Mercator One covers an area of approximately 9,500 square meters, encompassing office and dining spaces. Its architectural design offers flexible spatial configurations, enabling the interior to adapt to various office layouts. The urban landscape extends outward from the horizontally stacked building volumes and fan-shaped blocks along the building sides, enhancing the comfort for occupants. Additionally, a spacious rooftop terrace is accessible from the sixth floor.
The building’s ground floor offers a soaring 1,200 square meter space intended for dining and retail use. The restaurant and café architecture provide comfortable seating overlooking the newly designed Portsmouthplatz plaza adjacent to the building. This arrangement activates both indoor and outdoor public spaces, forming a vibrant core that connects the train station with Duisburg’s city center. Practical features extend underground, where a two-level parking garage accommodates approximately 130 vehicles, alongside service facilities and storage areas.
The facade is constructed using 90% recycled aluminum Hydro CIRCAL produced by Wicona. This aluminum is sourced from dismantled projects, vehicles, and food packaging, making Mercator One a pioneering project in Germany’s sustainable building market. To enhance thermal and acoustic insulation, the building is fitted with triple-glazed solar control glass, which also functions as a sunshade. The advanced ceiling system integrates lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, and acoustics, achieving an overall heat recovery rate exceeding 80%.
The underground parking includes 50 bicycle stations and 22 electric vehicle charging points, with potential for future expansion. The rooftop is extensively landscaped to mitigate the urban heat island effect, providing a lush environment for the six-story structure. Exterior white light illumination accentuates the fan-shaped facade’s gradually receding edges. The lighting design is dynamic, changing color to reflect city events—for example, red during the Christmas market and blue and white for MSV football matches.
The publicly accessible interior spaces of Mercator One, including the entrance hall, waiting area, and staircases, embody the rugged yet refined spirit characteristic of Germany’s Ruhr region. The building employs pure, direct, and elegant materials such as concrete, steel, glass, stone, wood, and paint.
Project Information
△ General layout plan
△ Basement floor plan
△ First floor plan
△ Second floor plan
△ Elevation drawing
△ Elevation drawing
△ Section diagram
△ Section diagram
△ Partial schematic diagram
△ Partial schematic diagram
Project Details
Architect: Hadi Teherani Architects
Area: 16,817 m²
Year: 2020
Photographers: Olaf Rohl, Jochen Stüber, Jörg Hempel
Manufacturers: AGROB BUCHTAL, Byok Lighting, Caparol, DURLUM, EGGER, Hahn Lamellen, Laminam, REC, St. Gobain, Trilux, Wicona Facadesystems (Facade), recycled materials
Project Management Architect: Bernd Muley
Project Architects: Anna Mass, Maciej Gerszewski, Xinghua Liu
Student Architect: Sabrina Weber
Graphic Design: Anja Sorger
Curtain Wall Consultant: DS Pulan Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
Floodlight Design: Kardorff Ingenieure Lichtplanung GmbH
Fire Engineering: HHP GmbH
Building Physics Engineering: Peutz Consult GmbH
Construction Project: Panta Engineers
Project Management: IQ Real Estate
Owner: Devario Invest GmbH
Location: Duisburg, Germany
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