architect: Henning Larsen Architects
location: Hamburg
year: 2010
Henning Larsen Architects has chosen a two-part composition to create hierarchy and openness on the site and has integrated the complex urban spaces that meet at Ericusspitze in their design. With its clearly readable figure each building has a reserved yet characteristic expression that provides a special significance in relation to creating identity for all the surrounding public spaces. The Ericus-building will be essential for the completion of the large park space. Spiegel will become the gateway to Hafencity seen from the main station and Brooktorkai.
The two buildings are designed as large U-forms that embrace the urban space they are directed towards.
The Spiegel-building embraces an internal space with a more urban character because of its direction towards the city. The Ericus-building embraces an open, green outdoor space as it directed towards the large open Lohsepark. The two buildings form two plazas: an arrival plaza for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers towards Brooktorkai and an open public plaza, which has a direct connection to the waterfront promenade. Sustainability and energy efficiency has played a crucial role during the conception of the Spiegel-building. It will meet the high requirements of the Hafencity’s “gold medal” for environment-friendly buildings and thereby also comply with the demands of the international label “green building”.
As a result the energy consumption will be less than 100 kWh/m²a, which is much lower than the current standard (243 kWh/m²a) for office buildings in Germany.
As energy consumption is only one aspect of the assessment of a building’s overall sustainability, further criteria are evaluated such as the use of public resources, the selection of building materials and the creation of a healthy and comfortable working environment. The rules and requirements of the “gold medal” influenced the work of all parties involved in designing and engineering the building.
The gold standard could only be guaranteed through a broad mix of different technologies and a careful and extensive process of selecting building materials. Key technology for the limitation of energy consumption is the extensive use of solar- and geothermal collectors and their combination with a cooling and heating system, which is integrated in the concrete floor slabs.
