Holzhafen Office Building West Hamburg
New building as part of the Holzhafen ensemble
The West office building completes the urban renewal along the Elbe river between Speicherstadt and Övelgönne.
The transformation of the timber port in Hamburg-Altona in the 1990s opened an important chapter in urban development: A new quarter on the Elbe river emerged from an industrial harbor edge. ASTOC was involved in this development. Together with Kees Christiaanse (KCAP) we drew up the urban master plan and planned three buildings located directly on the quayside: a twenty-storey, glass residential tower and two flanking brick office buildings. The western office building forms the urban conclusion of the ensemble.
The 1985 Bauforum initiated the revitalization of the northern bank of the Elbe. The structural transformation of the port opened up new opportunities to bring the city to the Elbe river and to develop the riverbank. The Holzhafen is the oldest harbour basin in Hamburg, located between the ferry terminal and the fish market, and for centuries was characterized by warehouses, open spaces, trade and commerce. Traditionally, a narrow strip of warehouses with red brick facades lies between Hamburg’s city center and the Elbe. The urban design picks up on this motif. Massive buildings alternate with open spaces along the riverbank. The design is part of the overarching planning principle of the ‘string of pearls’ of new buildings, which runs along the waterfront between Speicherstadt and Övelgönne and brings the city closer to the water.
The West office building picks up on characteristic elements of harbor architecture, brick, clear geometries and large-format ribbon windows, and implements these in a contemporary and functional way. The qualities of its volume creates a new scale between the Altonaer Elbhang and the harbor. It picks up on the design principles of the East Office Building and varies them.
The building stands on a shared base with the neighboring residential tower and extends over seven full storeys. There is a publicly accessible underground parking garage on three basement levels. The floor plan structure is organized like a comb and develops around two atriums, several passageways and atriums. This design enables a variety of visual connections to the Elbe river and the Elbe slope as well as differentiated lighting and ventilation of the interior spaces. A total of around 9,500 m² of usable space is available for 500 flexible office workstations. The individual units are between 200 and 400 m² in size and can be freely combined. A double façade with openable elements ensures natural ventilation. The materials used, in particular the red brick, reference the neighboring warehouse buildings and office buildings. The façade structure with horizontal window bands and vertical incisions creates a rhythmic, yet calm and striking appearance.
The stacked structure of the building is divided by recessed and cantilevered volumes. The result is not only a sculptural structure, but also a wide range of amenity areas. Transom like bridge elements connect the three building. Access is via a generously designed front zone, which also provides access to the base of the building. Here there is a public boardwalk along the Elbe river. The inner courtyard facing the waterfront is designed as an open space that invites people to linger and opens up views of the harbor opposite. The articulated structure of the building creates a sense of scale in relation to the existing buildings to the rear and at the same time a presence in the harbor landscape.
The design of the East Office Building is part of a comprehensive transformation process that was co-designed by ASTOC and Kees Christiaanse (KCAP) and has its origins in the second construction forum ‘Stadt am Hafen – Projekte für das Elbufer’. Similar to HafenCity, whose master plan is based on the fourth construction forum and was also developed by ASTOC and KCAP, the urban design for the Holzhafen and its new buildings initiated the revitalization of the northern bank of the Elbe. A previously inaccessible area was opened up to the city and developed the characteristic urban quality of life that is taken for granted today.
Client
B&L Holzhafen West GmbH & Co. KG
Size
approx. 15.300 m² GFA
Planning and realization
1994-2011
Service
Realization competition 1st place, object planning LPH 1-4, LPH 5 main details, LPH 6 partially, LPH 8 artistic overhead line
Collaboration
Kees Christiaanse / KCAP, Rotterdam (NL), Kunst + Herbert, Hamburg
Photo credit: HG Esch Photography
