Barmbek, or the district of the many red-brick buildings, stretches in the east of Hamburg from the Stadtpark across the Osterbek Canal to the Eilbek Canal. The former workers' quarter, whose architecture with surrounding balconies, bay windows and ornaments bears the signature of Fritz Schuhmacher, has developed into an urban residential district in recent years. A building complex with three five-storey residential buildings, a four-storey townhouse and an underground car park with 40 parking spaces has been realised on the plot in Kranichweg.
- Project
- New construction of 48 condominiums
- Client
- meravis Wohnungsbau- und Immobilien GmbH
- Service
- 1-8 HOAI
- Area
- 7.400 qm GFA
- Location
- Kranichweg in Hamburg
- Photography
- Martin Lukas Kim
As a white particle, the townhouse stands out from the dark clinkered residential block and combines with the rest of the development via the golden aluminium smooth sheet elements to create a harmonious overall picture.
With its dark clinker brick façade, the apartment building blends in with the existing residential block in terms of design, but the golden frames around the façade openings set its own striking accents. All windows, loggias and terrace openings are accentuated by the protruding aluminium frames, which are painted in pearl gold. Depending on the time of day or the position of the sun, the façade changes, creating an ever-changing appearance. Apart from the design, there was also another reason for the protruding elements: by placing the windows as far out as possible, it was possible to create space for deep window sills in the interior, which can be used both as an extended bench for the dining table and as a seating and reading area.
The majority of the façade of the apartment building on the street side is predominantly made of brick slips. Only the townhouse has a rendered façade of fine plaster, which is also found in the inner courtyard on the large façade of the apartment building. With the choice of clinker brick, the building follows in the footsteps of Fritz Schuhmacher, one of the most important representatives of brick expressionism, who had a decisive influence on the Barmbek district in particular. By paying homage to one of Hamburg's most important architects, the building blends in harmoniously and yet has an independent and modern interpretation.
The new apartment building in the Kranich-Höft residential block comprises 45 three- and four-room flats and a five-room penthouse flat under the roof. Two maisonette flats were realised in the adjacent townhouse with a white plastered façade. The townhouse is accessed from the street and the other flats from the inner courtyard. The furnishings are as comfortable as the building complex suggests from the outside: Oak parquet flooring, ceiling-high door elements with skylights, a modern ventilation system and underfloor heating leave nothing to be desired.
Voices from the team
Thanks to the additionally insulated outer shell, the building could be constructed as a KfW Efficiency House 70 and has a relatively low primary energy demand.
With the seemingly disorderly placement of the windows, we wanted to achieve a dynamic façade and, above all, create space for individuality inside. In each flat, the incidence of light is different and thus also brings a unique interior design to the flats.
