Educational center in Hamburg by Hörter+Trautmann

In the small square behind the town hall in the historic center of Hamburg, a new educational center has been built for the needs of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. In a competition held in 2008, Johann von Mansberg originally won, but the authors of the realized design are local architects Markus Trautmann and Clemens Hörter. The building had to resolve complications associated with its location on a cramped plot directly over a subway line. The innovative center of the Chamber of Commerce stands on a cantilevered foundation slab, which is supported only at three points. The new building also helps to shield from the noise of the passing subway line. In addition to the complicated foundation work and traffic situation, integrating the new structure into the context of historical buildings was also a challenge. The square Adolphplatz is lined with the facade of the town hall, the stock exchange, and the business school. The result is a modern interpretation of the typical Hamburg gabled houses. Through the delicate articulation of the facade and the choice of material, the architects aimed for their design to blend as harmoniously as possible with the existing environment.
On the pedestal with a protruding staircase, a composition of retreating blocks emerges, featuring a skin of slender slats that run over two floors, visually reducing the entire building. The fifth and sixth floors recede slightly on the sides, creating terraces with a publicly accessible café, offering a unique view of the city.
At night, the expression of the building undergoes a dramatic transformation. The filigree window pilasters, which appear solid during the day and resonate with the surrounding stone facades, light up at night thanks to LED lights, making the entire facade seem to dematerialize.

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