Carsten Roth Architekt

The Caffamacherreihe 8 building in Hamburg was built in the early 1990s. The new main entrance is a conversion of a former secondary entrance and demonstrates a stronger presence of the building on the street as well as establishes an appropriate and grand entry point to the users of the building. The new entrance allows the lower floor/foyer of the building to be in line with the overhang and dramatically portrays the building address.

The side envelopment walls of the new entrance are made with bronze colored plates that are manufactured with an extreme precision. The bronze adds a classic element to the building while also ensuring that it blends in with the other buildings on the street and is cohesive with the neighborhood scheme. Facing the street, the entire surface of the new foyer is glazed and has a height of 5.4 meters. Similar to a passe-partout, surrounded by two stories overarching fixed glazing is the actual entrance. It is part of a threefold division of the facade segments. This distribution is based on a glass bay design, which is a recurring motif of the existing building. The centrally arranged opening element is also 5.4 meters high, a horizontal subdivision for a dry access is found.

On the inside, the former side wing of the floor space of gallery level of the first floor has been reduced, in order to create this generous and open double height entrance. The inside walls and floors are made of natural stone. Similar to a chuck in a fine coat, the textured limestone wall linings of the foyer protuberance continue onto the street up to the glass level. The two story high limestone elements indicate a welcoming gesture, whilst turning step by step with each panel the positioning by 90 degrees in the inside area and are each separated by a gap. The indirect lighting makes the limestone areas glow. The effect of this designed foyer is like a lamp shade that radiates onto the street.

External material and construction: Structural steel members are insulated and covered with bronze; the glass facade is formed with steel post and rail construction.

Internal materials & construction: The works included removal of the supports under the gallery frame, replacement of the fire protected steel supports within the adjacent wall plane and removal of the gallery side podiums. Expressive wall elements made from coarse-pore Selle Berger Triassic limestone, hang on steel columns, with undercut anchor and clasp structures which are hidden from view behind the limestone. The penultimate shed element from triassic limestone works as a door leaf and can be opened to provide access to the hidden components of the radiators. The floor plates are pigmented with
1.2 x 1.2 m Yellow-Grey Jura (scratch polish). The walls in the core structure are made of Portuguese Branco Real (chiselled), and their tactile perceptual surface is highlighted by a spotlight.