Located in the heart of Hamburg, the Willy-Brandt-Strasse is a road that was cut across the city after World War II, when a good part of the center was destroyed. The road was conceived as a fast way for vehicles crossing the city from east to west. The operation involved physically separating historical neighborhoods with a six-lane artery, creating a very fragmentary environment. Aside from responding to this complex context, the project also had to address the geometry of the Fleet River and create a recognizable building by the rectangular and representative Hopfenmarkt square. The site’s redevelopment represents a historic opportunity to bring together these different urban realities in a strong landmark building. The new design is an articulated structure for housing and offices that mediates between the traditional Fleet houses by the river and the modern, large-scale developments along the main street: a self-confident, striking volume that provides urban stability. The volume’s setbacks and recesses carefully react to the building’s corner location and neighboring facades on the river. Semi-circular piers of red brick rhythmically order the facade, while quoting local 19th-century brick Gothic architecture...[+]