128 Holstenwall Hamburg

This project centers on the preservation and conversion of a 1990s concrete structure of a building that has lost its purpose as administrative headquarters; we optimize it for multi-tenant use while we work with the existing logic of the structure in three parts and retain the significant embodied energy; we shift the excentric staircase to the centre to make more use of the excellent park view for the office floors behind it. The building is centrally extended with an additional floor and roof terraces, while a new brick façade significantly improves its thermal performance. 

The new architectural expression of the brick building engages with the surrounding context of proud historic façades facing the green belt of Hamburg’s former fortified perimeter.

Another key component of the reuse strategy is the Wimmelhaus, the lower, white-rendered building at the corner. The two buildings can function completely independent, while the new staircase connects the different floor levels of the large and the small building. The original urban silhouette and white appearance are reinstated, which, together with its ‘twin’ across the wide street, evokes the classicist city gate that once stood at Zeughausmarkt.

The proposal creates a dignified architectural ensemble, with carefully integrated, reused structures of the 1990s with a new timeless expression, boldly re-anchoring this exposed corner in the city.