Description of project by Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp)
On December 6, 2018, Volkwin Marg together with the gmp team received the 1st prize for the HafenCity office building project in Hamburg at the Awards of the Association of German Architects (BDA). These awards are given to buildings that exemplify good architecture, thus honoring the combined efforts of architects and clients. This year's jury was chaired by Professor Andreas Denk and the editor-in-chief of the magazine "der architect".
The expansion of the headquarters of the Gebrüder Heinemann company ended in 2016. The jury praised "the strength of this work in the urban context at the intersection between Brooktorhafen and Shanghaiallee, as well as in the creation of a general set consisting of the three components from Kaispeicher B, the Heinemann warehouse, and the extension of the building. "Gmp won the competition in 2013 and, a year later, started building the office complex in Elbquartier, Hamburg, creating a harmonious set within its environment , both formally and aesthetically.
The project designed by gmp dates from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, and is a distinctive element of the city: in front of the HafenCity background, the extension is added to the two existing buildings between Magdeburger Hafen. and Shanghaiallee. The complete project, consisting of a story on the first floor and in the gallery, as well as eight other stories of offices and two levels of underground parking, has been designed to meet the requirements of the Gold standard of "Sustainable Construction in HafenCity" . The special feature of this headquarters is its relationship with water: the wall to the north also forms the wall of the Canal de la Flota and the towers of 42 meters above it. The connection with this maritime part of Hamburg is based on the history of the company; Gebr. Heinemann is a traditional company that was founded in this place as a chandler of a ship in 1879.
The new extension building refers to the cosmopolitan attitude of the internationally active Hanseatic trading house; Located right next to Heinemann-Speicher, the building blends well with its surroundings, given its brick and glass façade that is typical of the location, the vertically structured façade relief and the vertical window layout through the floors. Elements such as the historic loading openings of storage buildings are reinterpreted with large glazed areas. The generous terraced flat roofs finish off the building, creating an intermediate level between the heights of the eaves of the neighboring buildings. The new and still usable independently is connected to the headquarters of the flanking company through a glazed connection.
