Neumayerstraße – Wohnen am Elbpavillon

The new house “Wohnen am Elbpavillon” fits well into the existing urban context of the Wilhelminian style development and park while also being independent. Located in a prominent location in Hamburg's Neustadt at the Elbpark, the character of the building is defined by two things: on the one hand the deliberate Hanseatic restraint and matter-of-factness, and on the other, it continues to build upon the foundations of modernity.

The basic planning parameters of the preliminary building request such as cubature, height, entrances etcetera are retained and transferred to the chosen approach in terms of design. On the street side, the perimeter block development has been added. Together with the orderly perforated façade it creates an optical counterpart to the Wilhelminian-style construction of Neumayerstraße. The roof, which is inclined on this side, also integrates itself intentionally into the existing look.

On the park side, however, the tectonic shell of the building dissolves into balconies and loggias or becomes "soft." To the west, the house forms a transition as well as border to the landscape of the park. At the same time, the building opens up through plinths, balconies, terraces and enlarged windows that create a visual link from the façade of the building to the open space. The silhouette and the roof play a special role. The roof does not lower again towards the park side, but rather pauses at the height of movement and opens up the rooms on the staggered floor to the park side. This enables the design of spacious roof terraces with a unique view over Hamburg and at the same time forms an attractive fifth façade. On the street side, the development is therefore of rather strict urban functionality; on the park side, however, it is softer, more open, closer to the natural forms of nature.

The horizontal structure has a similar function: the base evens out the topography of the property, accommodates the natural, ventilated underground car park, refuse room, and bicycle room and serves as a terrace for ground floor residents. The floors staggered above form a demarcation, while also allowing the view of the park from the street and the northern school buildings to be maintained.

In accordance with the Hamburg tradition, red brick is used as a building material and from this the architectural cubature is developed, as is the case with Fritz Höger's Chile House. The interplay of the interlaced, structured clinker components, the prefabricated balconies and the floating roof shape the figure of the house. Along the street, the materiality is shaped by a parallel stretcher bond, while towards the Elbpark a structured surface is created through offset walling, which shows a subtly changing shadow play depending on the course of the day and the incidence of light.

We see this house as a contribution to continuing construction in a historically evolved context and at the same time as a modern house, a house of contemporary architecture and yet timeless.

For over 30 years, Wandel Lorch Architects have seen themselves as seekers in the field of tension between material and time. Dealing with historical, political, and societal issues are just as important for our buildings as the location and context. Through an intensive search for specific spatial concepts and material strategies, our work is characterized by lively discourse and reflexive design.

In our offices in Frankfurt and Saarbrücken we work on challenging projects and competitions with a focus on sacred and museum architecture as well as building within existing structures.