Courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects
David Chipperfield Architects has won a competition to design the Elbtower, a 230-meter tall building in Hamburg that will be the city’s tallest. Located on the eastern edge of the Hafencity, the sculptural building has a strong presence on the riverfront, forming a counterpoint to Herzog & de Meuron’s Elbphilharmonie to the West. The building hosts office space in the tower, over a podium containing a bar, hotel, restaurant, retail and exhibition areas.
Courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects
The building comprises a podium which on one corner curves elegantly upward to form a glass tower. This tower tapers outward from its base, adding a powerful form to the Hamburg skyline. At its base, the building forms a number of connections to the city, linking to the train and underground station to the east and a bicycle-bridge over the canal to the north. At the meeting of these entrances, the building features a courtyard which adds to the public space of the city while providing access to the tower.
Courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects
The glass facade of the building features a screen of light-colored panels which act as solar protection, while creating a moiré effect due to the curves of the facade at various levels. In addition, a lighting concept created by Studio Other Spaces in collaboration with Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann will turn the building into a “kinetic sculpture” after dark.
Courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects
“We are delighted to have won the competition for the Elbtower project together with SIGNA and are happy to be invited to work in Hamburg again, especially on such an important site,” said David Chipperfield. “As architects we are increasingly aware that the city depends on the quality of projects from the private sector to create a strong civic dimension that engages with the complexities of the city. We look forward to positively embracing this responsibility with the Elbtower project.”
Courtesy of David Chipperfield Architects
The project is scheduled to start construction in 2021, with completion set for 2025.
- Architects: David Chipperfield
- Location: Elbbrücken, Hamburg, Germany
- Partners: David Chipperfield, Christoph Felger (Design lead), Harald Müller
- Project Architects: Barbara Koller (competition phase 1), Thomas Pyschny (competition phase 2)
- Competition Team: Konrad Basan, Kerstin Bigalke, Andrew Davis, Ivan Dimitrov, Emmi Frank, Fadi Kilani, Dalia Liksaite, Pascal Maas, Carthage Murphy, André Silva Oliveira, Ken Polster, Franziska Rusch, Diana Schaffrannek, Matthijs Sioen, Simon Wiesmaier, Julienne Zuern
- Engineering: Arup Ltd., London
- Fire Consultant: brand+Brandschutz Planbar, Berlin
- Landscape Architect: Wirtz International nv, Schoten
- Light Art Installation: Studio Other Spaces, Berlin with Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann
- Client: SIGNA Prime Selection AG, Innsbruck
- Area: 104000.0 m2
- Project Year: 2018