Natural bar
Hamburg-based architects Störmer Murphy and Partners designed the hybrid building, which rises 65 metres into the sky and contributes to the climate-neutral redensification of the city. The block building offers a balanced mix of living, working and leisure areas with magnificent views over the Hanseatic metropolis and the nearby harbour. The modular wall and ceiling elements were predominantly prefabricated from spruce wood, which comes mainly from Europe, such as Styria in Austria. Using a 1:1 model, the sound insulation and fire protection as well as the handling of weather conditions were thought through down to the last detail in advance. Tests had already confirmed the suitability of the building material during the planning phase. Due to the location within the flood zone, traditional reinforced concrete was only chosen for the terp and ground floor as well as the access cores. Meanwhile, the PEFC-certified softwood in the form of solid wood ceilings and interior walls ensures a healthy indoor climate and natural aesthetics.
The furnishings of the 181 residential units also contribute to the sense of well-being: In the 128 individual properties and 53 publicly funded flats, attention was paid to durable, understated design from the entrance door to the bathrooms. The ‘Collaro’ collection from Villeroy & Boch fits in perfectly with this - clear, slender shapes that are particularly robust thanks to TitanCeram. From the cabinet washbasin to the wall-hung WC without a flushing rim, these contribute to a pleasant room atmosphere. The luxurious ‘ViClean-I 100’ shower toilet is also part of the interior design of the ‘Roots’ in selected flats. What both products have in common is that they have been designed to save resources in terms of their function: The wall-hung WCs offer a high flushing performance with a low water consumption of around three litres and the hot water for the ‘ViClean-I 100’ shower toilets is heated using a flow heater, which only heats the amount of water that is actually needed. Thanks to CeramicPlus, the surface of all ceramics is also dirt-repellent and easy to clean.
With high-quality fittings and advanced construction methods on a total floor area of around 36,200 square metres, the new building is thus making a valuable contribution to the HafenCity urban development programme. ‘With the ‘Roots’, we not only want to create impressive architecture, but also pursue a mission: Our vision is to drive forward the development of timber houses and to see this type of construction established as the standard in 10 years' time. The ‘Roots’ shows that climate-efficient and resource-conserving construction is an integral part of sustainable urban redensification,’ says Fabian von Köppen, Managing Director of developer Garbe Immobilien-Projekte GmbH.
