139 Klöpperhaus Hamburg

On the edge of Hamburg’s city centre, the Klöpperhaus is undergoing a strong and sensitive transformation. Located between the Central Station and the historic Kontorhausviertel, the building occupies a prominent position at the entrance to the inner city.

Originally designed by Fritz Höger in 1912 and built between 1913 and 1915 as a first very large Kontorhaus for offices the structure was converted into a department store in 1965. During that conversion, the original interior was largely replaced by a 10 × 10-metre concrete skeleton. Respecting its listed status, the project restores the building’s original function as an office, while introducing a contemporary mixed-use program. This includes retail and public spaces at street level, offices on the upper floors, and new residential units within the roof levels.

The design reveals the building’s layered history by mediating between the proportions of the historic façade and the 1960s structural grid. Selective cuts in the floor slabs create a central atrium, connecting the levels vertically and drawing daylight deep into the plan. The post-war roof is replaced by a contemporary reinterpretation of Höger’s 1912 copper-roof design, while the 1960s concrete skeleton remains visible. The historic façade, with its sculptured brick and stone elements and timber windows, is carefully restored to contemporary standards with vacuum glazing, reinforcing the Klöpperhaus as a defining historic and at the same time future looking landmark in Hamburg’s urban fabric.