CALLWEY - OUTSTANDING RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION: CARSTEN ROTH RECEIVES AWARD FOR 11DECKS: "RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS OF THE YEAR 2025" - PASCH RESPONSIBLE FOR 11DECKS INTERIOR DESIGN
In the middle of the Überseequartier in Hamburg’s HafenCity, this privately financed residential building with a total of 306 apartments has been constructed. One of the project’s greatest challenges was to create high-quality living spaces on a plot whose shape was actually unsuitable for residential development. Originally, the construction site was larger and intended to accommodate two huge office blocks. However, as the overall development progressed, the site was reduced in size and became increasingly narrow towards the south.
The result was a slim, elongated courtyard that, with the originally planned eave heights, could not be adequately lit. For this reason, the architects raised the eaves on the north side to over 30 meters and stepped the building mass downwards toward the south, well below the original eave line.
The new building, ranging from 6 to 11 stories, offers a wide variety of apartment types and sizes, from 38-square-meter micro-apartments to 200-square-meter penthouses with roof terraces. With 224 units, the majority are compact one- or two-room apartments. All apartments are equipped with custom-designed furniture such as living room units, kitchens, and built-in wardrobes. In addition, there is a spacious community space on the first floor, open to all residents and directly connected to the courtyard. A playroom, fitness and yoga rooms, a parcel station, and a large communal area with an open kitchen, bar, and lounge can be found there, as well as a co-working area with meeting rooms and individual workstations. The entire ground floor accommodates retail and gastronomy spaces.
Eleven Decks becomes a distinctive landmark thanks to its façade made of 540 red, through-colored precast concrete elements. Slightly rotated out of alignment, these sculptural components create sheltered loggias, whose movable glass panels provide protection from wind and weather as well as from noise. Also integrated into the façade is the decentralized controlled ventilation system.
In contrast to the expressiveness of the street façades, the courtyard façade is more restrained. It is characterized by white plaster surfaces with anthracite-colored window bands and, above all, by greened roof terraces and a densely planted courtyard area.
How does your project enable a high quality of living?
At the beginning of the planning phase in HafenCity, the lack of green spaces was frequently criticized. This project counteracts that issue: the stepped architecture not only brings light and air into the courtyard but also creates spacious, green outdoor areas in the form of numerous roof terraces. In addition, the courtyard provides generous outdoor and play areas for all residents of the building.
What structural, technical, or material-related features does your project have?
The façade made of precast concrete elements, in addition to meeting the usual requirements for thermal insulation, robustness, and tightness, also meets the high demands of fire and sound protection. The combination of cantilevered balcony slabs with solid parapets fulfills the requirements for vertical fire spread prevention in high-rise construction and creates a varied façade structure. At the same time, movable glass panels reduce noise within the loggias and minimize sound transmission when windows are open.
The combination of these technical requirements resulted in a complex façade structure that gives the building its distinctive depth and articulation. The material chosen for the precast façade is through-colored architectural concrete, as it offers long-lasting color stability and high resistance to damage or soiling.
NUMBER OF APARTMENTS:
306
NUMBER OF RESIDENTS:
approx. 450
RESIDENTIAL AREA IN SQM:
21,000
DEVELOPER:
DC Developments GmbH & Co. KG
ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE:
CARSTEN ROTH ARCHITEKT
carstenroth.com
LOCATION:
Hamburg (D)
KEY DATA:
- Plot size: 5,750 sqm
- Gross floor area (above ground): 31,600 sqm
- Gross floor area (underground): 11,500 sqm
- Commercial/mixed-use area: 600 sqm
- Type of commercial/mixed use: retail, gastronomy, community space
- Completion: November 2024
- Construction method: reinforced concrete structure with precast façade
- Energy standard: EnEV Standard, EEWärmeG, Hamburg Climate Protection Ordinance, BREEAM: Outstanding
Participating Companies:
PASCH Panahi & Schumacher
Düsseldorf (D)
pasch-design.com
(Interior Design / Interior Architecture)
WTM Engineers GmbH
Hamburg (D)
wtm-engineers.de
(Structural Engineering)
WES GmbH LandschaftsArchitektur
Hamburg (D)
wes-la.de
(Landscape Architecture)
Architectural Photography:
Klaus Frahm
Börsen (D)
klaus-frahm.de
MEDIUM:
Callwey Verlag - Ausgezeichneter Wohnungsbau 2025
LOCATION:
Hamburg
AUTHOR:
Friedrich von Borries, Roland Pawlitschko