New building for publishing house “Der Spiegel” - Ericusspitze, Hamburg Merged with a historic bastion

Konzept

The new building of the SPIEGEL publishing house and the Ericus Kontor open up both towards the water and onto a south-facing square. A striking motif is the smooth water surface, flush with the ground, which reflects the light, sky, people, trees and facades, while at the same time separating the catering area unobtrusively from the remaining open space.

A generously-sized, likewise south-facing ensemble of steps for seating, with a zone of steps to walk up, like a carpet, plays in detail with the themes of materiality and superimposition. At the same time, the stairway with its seating niches is characterised by a high level of precision, providing an appealing opportunity to change levels along the generously-sized promenade.

The planning of the open spaces is based on the urban planning compositional principle: public promenades and a semi-public square with a base, supporting the buildings above. As a result, the square has become an integral part of the overall composition and part of the building base. The colour scheme and texture of the materials plays a significant role; these are precisely in line with the materials of the building base and the historical Ericus bastion. A dialogue between contemporary and traditional materials is hence a logical consequence of this location.

At the same time, the design of the outside space has been kept as reserved as possible, in order to make the spirit of the location tangible – and not least the “investigative” journalism carried out by the SPIEGEL.