The Kontorhaus District The Chilehaus Imprint

The Kontorhaus district to the No textbook on 20th century packed sequence of the pillars, List of Figures north of the Customs Canal and architecture is complete without required by the internal fl oor plan, thus immediately adjacent to the Chilehaus, which was built for the artistic design of the 1 L. Wendemuth, W. Böttcher, Der 17 Chilehaus 1924, reproduction the Speicherstadt, which was between 1922 and 1924 by Fritz façades. Inside, the building provi- Hafen von Hamburg, Hamburg of a photography by Dransfeld constructed primarily in the Höger and is regarded as an icon ded fl exibility with the division of 1928, Meissner & Christiansen Brothers 1920s and 1930s, is characte- of architectural expressionism. Its fl oor space, vital for a modern 2 Section through a traditional Chilehaus, detail, Wikimedia rised by a considerable degree signifi cance as such derives from rented offi ce building, and could Hamburg town house, Katharinen- Commons, Foto: Wolfgang of homogeneity, which can be both the characteristic detailing of therefore be adapted to the needs straße 10/11, Hermann Hipp, Freie Meinhart experienced to this day, thanks its brick façades and its striking of different users. In oblique view, und Hansestadt Hamburg, Köln to its mainly large-scale buil- shape – the way it spans Fischer- the tightly packed sequence of 1989 18 Zentralblatt der Bauverwal- dings with clinker façades, some 15 Mohlenhof twiete; its curved, S-shaped pillars gives the impression of a tung 45, 1925 fi lling an entire block and fea- façade on the Meßberg side; and, calm, apparently windowless Ground plan of a traditional turing expressionist and sober above all, its eastern tip, which expanse of wall, which heightens Hamburg town house, Katharinen- All other photos: straße 10, Rudhard, Wolfgang, Das shapes. As the fi rst dedicated At that time, buildings of compara- recalls the prow of a ship. the monumental feel of the Bürgerhaus in Hamburg, Tübingen Staatsarchiv, Sabine Ganczarsky, offi ce district on the European ble conceptual and design quality building. The brick piers protruding continent, it distils previous Furthermore, by exploiting the from the façade at a 45°-angle 1975 Nicolai Wieckmann 12 Messberghof could only be found in the USA. Yet, 16 Chilehaus experience in the planning and in contrast to offi ce block architec- construction possibilities offered follow their own internal rhythm, 3 Plan of the Brookinseln before by reinforced concrete, and com- design of offi ce buildings. ture elsewhere in the world at that with the rotation of every seventh the demolition of the existing Editor time, which was characterised by bining them with traditional brick- layer of bricks, so that when building development in 1883, Rita Clasen The buildings of the core zone, the the Beaux-Arts style or other histori- work, Höger developed in the closely observed from an angle a below: with transformation owing WORLD HERITAGE HAMBURG Dr. Agnes Seemann Chilehaus, Messberghof, Sprinken- cised forms, Hamburg’s buildings Chilehaus a modern, ground- diagonal pattern can be seen on to the construction of the hof and Mohlenhof, which consti- already displayed modern clinker breaking building structure. With the wall of pillars. Speicherstadt and with coloured Translation tute an urban ensemble, are striking façades in expressionist shapes virtually unsurpassable virtuoso SPEICHERSTADT AND KONTORHAUS DISTRICT indication of the projected and the Niels Hamdorf for their quality. Particular impor- which, in the Chilehaus and the design and craftsmanship, he In addition to its artistic wall realized construction phases: red tance was attached to having Sprinkenhof, achieved an almost created a modern style of brick design, the building boasts cera- 1885-88, blue 1891-96, green Design WITH CHILEHAUS offi ce-building architecture, the mic façade decorations by the fl exible fl oor plans, meaning that as unsurpassable degree of virtuosity 1899-1927. The purple-coloured Rita Clasen like of which the world had never sculptor Richard Kuöhl, who also far as possible load-bearing internal in terms of design and craftsman- blocks on the Ericusspitze have not Bianca Flamming 13 Staircases: Messberghof (left), Sprinkenhof (right) walls were to be avoided, which is ship. The Messberghof, which was seen. created the terracotta design in been realized. Die Hamburger the imposing entrance areas and Altstadt why the offi ce buildings were fi rst built with virtually no decoration or Freihafen-Lagerhausgesellschaft 1 Höger achieved this by using both staircases. 2 erected as skeleton structures, sub-division of its façades, so that 1885–1910. Denkschrift zum Bernd Paulowitz the marked mirroring and refl ec- with infrastructure such as stair- ultimately little remained on view 25-jährigen Jubiläum, Hamburg Burchardplatz Ludwig-Erhard-Straße tive effect of the irregularly fi red World Heritage Coordinator Johanniswall

wells and sanitary facilities concen- apart from two-dimensional clinker 1910 Depenau 4 clinker bricks and the tightly Ministry of Culture 13 trated in compact core areas. Dis- brickwork, was one of the fi rst buil- Willy-Brandt-Straße Meßberg1a 4 Architekten- und Ingenieur-Verein Department for Heritage tinguishing features of Hamburg’s Altstadt dings in the world to pave the way 3 Zollkanal zu Hamburg (Hrsg.), Hamburg und Preservation 1 12 2 Oberhafen Kontorhaus tradition were, on the for the New Objectivity movement. W Oberbaumbrücke fleet S brookfleet seine Bauten, 1928 Große Bleichen 30 rahms- X one hand, modern access arrange- The Mohlenhof, with its relatively U P 17 Chilehaus, detail and architectural sculptures, created by Richard Kuöhl Burchardplatz Holländisch-V Wand- Ludwig-Erhard-Straße Bei den Mühren R Ericusgraben 20354 Hamburg Johanniswall Q Brooktorkai ments thanks to paternoster lifts 5 Zollkanal bare, fl at façades can, in fact, H 6 HHLA Immobilien Depenau 7 Baumwall Niederbaumbr. Binnenhafen G 4 [email protected] Kehrwiedersteg Kehrwieder 13 E Brooktorhafen Willy-Brandt-Straße Meßberg and, on the other hand, the high already be classifi ed as an example D Brooksfleet O 1a N M fleet Kehrwieder- L 7 Aus dem Hamburger Freihafen- K Am Sandtorkai Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg standard of the buildings’ design. of New Objectivity. Even from an 3 Zollkanal Ministry of Culture 12 Am Sandtorkai Department for Heritage Preservation 6 Magdeburger Hafen Oberbaumbrücke Oberhafen 11 gebiet, Hamburg 1888, Strumper & www.hamburg.de/welterbeW 10 Map of the World Heritage application This is evident not only in their international perspective, the buil- fleet Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district with Chilehaus S brookfleet Sandtorhafen rahms- X Legend

U Nominated property P Co. Holländisch-V artistic adornment, with their care- Wand- Speicherstadt dings in the core zone of the Kon- Bei den Mühren R Ericusgraben Areas 5 Q Brooktorkai Zollkanal H 7 9 Water areas Baumwall Buffer zone fully designed and often elaborately Binnenhafen G Niederbaumbr. torhaus district are thus among the Kehrwiedersteg Kehrwieder E Brooktorhafen 8 Visual axes D Brooksfleet O 9 Carl Koppmann N 1 Visual axes number M fleet Projection: UTM32 detailed clinker façades, but also in most signifi cant achievements of Kehrwieder- L V.i.S.d.P.: Andreas Kellner Position reference system : ETRS89 K Am Sandtorkai Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg Ministry of Culture Map background: DSGK (LGV, Oktober 2011) Am Sandtorkai Department for Heritage Preservation Magdeburger Hafen Scale: 1:4.992 6 11 E l b e Meter the lavishly furnished hallways and 10 Map of the World Heritage application offi ce block architecture of the 15 Wolfgang Voigt 0 50 100 150 200 250 ¸ Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district with Chilehaus

Sandtorhafen Legend staircases, the design of which 1920s and, being works by major © 2017 Nominated property Speicherstadt Areas 16 Union Invest Real Estate 9 Water areas sometimes verged on the ostenta- architects, are also of considerable Buffer zone 8 Visual axes 1 Visual axes number Projection: UTM32 tious. artistic importance. Position reference system : ETRS89 Map background: DSGK (LGV, Oktober 2011) Scale: 1:4.992 E l b e Meter 0 50 100 150 200 250 ¸ 14 Sprinkenhof 18 Chilehaus ground plan, ground fl oor 19 Chilehaus entrance hall Hamburg Historical Background to the Building of the Hamburg’s Transformation into a Modern City Hamburg’s Speicherstadt Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District In the world’s metropolises, the contributed to the displacement of industrialisation and incipient globa- the residential population. The Hamburg’s Speicherstadt, with its is also characteristic of the In the 19th century, the pace of Europe. Fresh impetus was lisation of the economy and trade at process was further accelerated by numerous warehouses and func- Speicherstadt’s architecture. Yet the economic and trade globalisation provided by the city’s full incor- the end of the 19th and beginning the clearance of the city centre tional buildings and its specifically result was not a schematic and aus- began to quicken, driven by colo- poration into the German of the 20th centuries was accom- slums, the so-called Alleyway planned functional, architectural and tere warehouse complex, but rather nialism and economic liberalism, Customs Union in 1888 and the panied by a new phase of urban district (Gängeviertel), in the wake urban structure with cobbled a highly adorned and varied ensem- and boosted by industrialisation, consequent expansion and development, namely the forma- of the cholera epidemic of 1892. In streets, waterways, bridges and ble, using predominantly neo-Go- new technologies, more exten- modernisation of the port, as tion of the modern city. This their stead in the Old Town came railway connections, was created thic architectural forms to make a sive production, the division of part of which the Speicherstadt process overtook an increasing mainly office blocks rather than between 1885 and 1927 in three strong impression as an urban labour, and the ability to trans- was created. Within just two number of city centres around the new residential accommodation. construction phases under the space – an effect which is further port goods more rapidly. This decades, Hamburg became one world, and led to functional segre- Consequently, the population of direction of the city’s chief engineer reinforced by its exposed position development not only had a of the world’s leading ports, so gation, with residents and other the city centre fell from 171,000 in Franz Andreas Meyer as the largest on a group of islands on the edge of major impact on the global that ultimately the only places users being driven out by the 1880 to 68,600 in 1937, only 15,500 and most modern logistics centre the city centre. economy, but also, amongst where more goods were trans- expanding tertiary sector. of whom lived in the Old Town. of its time. It provided generously- other things, prompted a change shipped than on the northern sized storage areas, which were Thanks to sensitive and painstaking 6 Speicherstadt , constructions and building age of the blocks in the urban development of the part of the River Elbe were Lon- 3 Development Speicherstadt Various different events combined With the exception of London, this equipped as standard with innova- reconstruction, despite the effects world’s port and trading cities. don and New York. to accelerate and accentuate this phenomenon was virtually unpre- tions such as electric light and hyd- of World War II the Speicherstadt process in Hamburg. Catalysts cedented in Europe at that time. raulically-powered winches. Pressu- still retains its characteristic uniform Germany was a particular benefi- Hamburg’s accession to the Ger- included the Great Fire of 1842, as Even in the USA, only New York rised water and electricity were appearance. Even today, the ciary of these developments for, man Customs Union triggered a result of which the small-scale and Chicago had central areas supplied by its own power station. Speicherstadt remains the largest within just four decades, from the construction of the Speicher- medieval structure of the affected dominated by the tertiary sector. Thanks to their mode of construc- cohesive and integrated ensemble the establishment of the German stadt, a project which not only areas of the Old Town (Altstadt) While it is true that increasing tion, the warehouses provided a of warehouses in the world. It is Empire in 1871 to World War I, it led to all the houses in an entire was replaced by state-of-the-art numbers of office buildings were stable internal climate, where sen- notable not only for its high degree 1 Development rose to second place in the district being demolished and parallel streets and blocks of buil- also constructed elsewhere, there sitive goods could be stored wit- of architectural and urban unity, of the port in global league of industrialised over 16,000 people being dings. In the process, most of the – in contrast to Hamburg – the hout additional heating or cooling. resulting from the uniform design Hamburg nations, surpassed only by the displaced, but also marked the poorer residents were driven out. In tertiary sector did not displace the with red brick façades, but also for 1865 - 1925 USA. At the same time, the end of a traditional way of life in addition, the abolition in 1860 of the residential population from such One of the Speicherstadt’s charac- its evocative setting, which empha- volume of German commercial Hamburg, where residential, Torsperre, the system of levying large swathes of the city centres. teristic features is the use of sises its imposing character and shipping on the world’s seas commercial and office life had skeleton frames, predominantly contrasts that with its function. It is 4 Redevelopment area south of Steinstraße charges for unlocking the city gate Rather, to a large extent the latter 7 Cross-section of the customs canal and the free port zone, Hamburg 1888 grew tenfold. One of the decisive been united under one roof. The in the evenings and at night, meant retained their character as functio- constructed using prefabricated the Speicherstadt’s prestigious factors in this development was separation of those three that the merchants who had pre- nally mixed residential and working iron components, but also incorpo- function, so clearly underscored, the enormous growth in trans- aspects of life, which had already viously lived in townhouses and districts. rating wood and sheathed cast iron which makes it, as it were, the 2 Traditional Hamburg port capacity, as well as the begun when the middle classes gone about their business in the pillars clad in concrete. The resulting architectural showpiece of town house increase in shipment speed. The had moved into new exclusive Old Town were able to move per- The two mono-functional, functio- reduction in the load borne by the Hamburg’s port, and which, along 1 Counter extension of the railway network residential suburbs on the Outer manently to the green surround- nally complementary districts of external walls means that the latter with its size, sets it apart from the 2 Office room and the expansion of ports, Alster around 1850, was conside- ings of the suburbs, where some of the Speicherstadt and the Kontor- primarily serve as protection against warehouse complexes of other port together with the boom in ship- rably hastened by the construc- the elements. The modular struc- cities, lending it special status both 3 Hall them already owned summer resi- haus district are therefore perfect building, in particular the con- tion of the Speicherstadt, and dences. exemplars of the concept of the ture of the façades, whose propor- nationally and internationally. 4 Hatch struction of new steamers, also subsequently engendered the tions are derived from the standar- 1 5 5 5 ideal modern, tertiary-based city 5 Stateroom or ware- 6 4 played their part. formation of mono-functional The construction of the Speicher- with functional zoning. Their unique dised brick size, in accordance with house for delicate goods 2 3 HOF districts dominated by the stadt, which began in 1885, engen- state of preservation, their concen- the tenets of the “Hanover School”, 6 Warehouse ERDGESCHOSS As a port and trading city, Ham- service sector. dered Hamburg’s radical transition tration and their sheer size docu- 7 Hall 8 9 9 9 burg was at the forefront of from a mixed-use town to a ment the process of city formation 7 6 8 Living- or stateroom 8 these developments. Thanks to modern city with mono-functional at the end of the 19th and begin- the prescient actions of the city’s districts. 16,000 people, who had ning of the 20th centuries in a way 9 Bedroom of the parents 1. STOCK or the children leaders, Hamburg was able not previously lived on the Brook that is unrivalled anywhere in the 10 Bedroom 11 12 12 12 only to maintain its overwhel- Islands, had to make way for the world. In addition, both districts 10 6 11 Storage floor ming pre-eminence in Germany, building of the Speicherstadt. At also have outstanding qualities in but also to become the most 12 Bedroom for children, 2.STOCK the same time, the first office buil- their own right. guests or workers important port in continental 5 Aerial view of the Speicherstadt and the Kontorhaus district dings were erected, which further 8 Wasserschlösschen 9 Waterway around 1900 10 Block V 11 Block P