Düsseldorf, Germany — Visitors to K 2019 will see one obvious change since the last plastics fair in 2016: a new South Entrance and Hall 1 at the Messe Düsseldorf complex.
Work on the 140 million euro ($160 million) project started in May 2017, after the Interpack trade show, and it will be completed this summer.
“We regard this construction project as an important step towards the complete modernization and renewal of our venue. It allows us to adapt it to the demands and requirements of customers and, additionally, further enhance the service factor,” said Werner Dornscheidt, chairman of Messe Düsseldorf. “And, as usual, the whole project is being completed without subsidies.”
The design was created by the Düsseldorf-based architectural company Slapa Oberholz Pszczulny Architekten GmbH & Co. KG.
“The core element of our design is a colossal 7,800-square-meter translucent glass-fiber fabric canopy with a height of around 20 meters that marks the new entrance. We're delighted at this opportunity to contribute so significantly to the unique urban development between the Rhine and Nordpark with an address that overlooks this city and is so clearly visible from afar,” Helmut Oberholz, managing partner of the architectural firm, said in a news release.
The new entrance is 93 meters long and containers more than 2,000 square meters of space. Meanwhile, the new Hall 1 is 158 meters long, 77 meters wide and covers more than 12,000 square meters, roughly the size of the exhibition center's Halls 8a and 8b.
The investment in is part of a “Messe Düsseldorf 2030” strategy at the fairgrounds that started with the new construction of Halls 6 and 7 in 2000. A total of 11 of the 19 halls have been newly built or completely renovated by the fall of 2016.
K 2019 is scheduled for Oct. 16-23. For information see www.k-online.com.