The Zollhof 3 Media Park was Zaha Hadid Architects’ winning proposal for the redevelopment of a key site in Dusseldorf harbour. Commissioned in 1989 by the Kunst-und Medienzentrum Rheinhafen (KMR), it aimed to rejuvenate a post-industrial, derelict waterfront into a vibrant media district, integrating office spaces, cultural venues and public amenities. However, despite its positive development, in 1993 Hadid’s scheme was cancelled and eventually replaced with a design by Frank Gehry. Although unbuilt, ZHA’s proposal remains a critical turning point in the office’s work, marking an intense period of experimentation at the intersection of waterfront urbanism and novel architectural typologies.
The conceptual origin of Zollhof 3 Media Park stems from the site’s frequent flooding from the Rhine, which is legibly inscribed in Hadid’s early sketch. Fluctuating horizontal lines stretch and layer across the page, pierced by a grey-marked central fracture that slices downward, depicting the rising tide’s pressure as it breaks through the riverbank. This dynamic rupture extends into the model, where the built form emerges as ‘a continuous wall’, cracked, splintered and displaced into multiple transparent slabs. A metallic, triangular element penetrates the building’s site from the river’s edge, carving out a sloped plaza. The painting further articulates this vision, using the space of the canvas to convey ZHA’s approach to the waterfront. The building complex is represented from different perspectives, dissolving its boundary with the riverside site, fully enfolding them within each other.
The project was part of a broader investigation by ZHA into waterfront redevelopment in Germany during the late 1980s and early 1990s, alongside schemes such as Hafenstrasse in Hamburg (1989) and Rheinauhafen in Cologne (1992). Such experimentations on the relationship between building site and river topography would later inform the conception of Guangzhou Opera House (2002-2010), ZHA’s first realised project in China.
Architectural Design
Zaha Hadid
Project Architects
Brett Steele and Brian Ma Siy
Project Team
Paul Brislin, Cathleen Chua, John Comparelli, Elden Croy, Craig Kiner, Graeme Little, Yousif Albustani, Patrik Schumacher, Daniel Oakley, Alistair Standing, Tuta Barbosa, David Gomersall and C.J. Lim
Competition Team
Michael Wolfson, Anthony Owen, Signy Svalastoga, Edgar Gonzales, Graig Kiner, Patrik Schumacher, Ursula Gonsinor, Bryan Langland, Ed Gaskin, Yuko Moriyama, Graeme Little, Cristrina Verissimo, Maria Rossi and Youisif Albustani
Models
Ademir Volic, Daniel Chadwick and Richard Threadgill
