Deichtor Centre Office Building

By Redazione The Plan - 11 January 2010

The Deichtor, which literally means “tower on the bank”, stands at the point where the old centre of Hamburg meets the future Hafen-city, one of Europe’s major urban development projects.
Sited on a crossroads for road, rail and water routes, this triangular high-rise symbolises the link between the historic city and its future development, between the new-build grid running along the main arterial roads and the plots still awaiting development.
Whether you arrive in downtown Hamburg by train or car, the 10-storey prism is the landmark building that announces you have reached the modern part of the city. This triangular-shaped office block completely enveloped in glass is, however, in no way at odds with the more historical buildings of the area. It only stands out for its greater complexity. Here the traditional open courtyard has been redesigned to involve the whole structure, allowing it to meet modern energy, climate and acoustic requirements.
Open urban spaces, the loggia motif of the entrance and the hanging gardens, all intertwine in a succession of offices that recreates the maze structure of the older urban fabric. Yet the permeability of the curtain walling, with views into interiors and beyond make it difficult to discern what is on the inside and what is outside.
Two inner courts rising the full height of the building and lit by daylight filtering through the roof lie in a central position. Abutting them are two 4-storey entrance halls. The ground floor is common to both atria while on the other floors, four hanging gardens, or “urban windows” – each three storeys high – create intersections.
The Deichtor is a tower not only in form but especially in function, allowing sweeping views over the city to which it stands guardian.
The materials and colours of the surrounding city are fully taken up by the interior design, further contributing to the fusion between interior and exterior as together the colours inside and out...