Spiegel Headquarters

As winner of 1st Prize in International Competition, Henning Larsen Architects is constructing the new Spiegel Headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. The 50,000 m2 project is located in HafenCity, an immense masterplan designated an official quarter of Germany in 2008. The Spiegel Group is a prominent German media and journalism company.

Spiegel HQ comprises two U-shaped buildings. The Spiegel-Building encloses an internal space oriented toward the city centre of Hamburg. The Spiegel-Building signifies a gateway into HafenCity from Hamburg Central Station and Brooktorkai. The Ericus-Building contains an exposed outdoor space connected to Hamburg’s Lohsepark. The Ericus-Building is a central component of HafenCity’s immense new park development.

Sustainability and energy efficiency has played a crucial role in the conception of Spiegel HQ. The project meets all requirements of the Hamburg Gold Medal for environmentally-friendly buildings. Spiegel HQ possesses all assessment criteria for the Gold Medal merit: optimized energy consumption, intelligent utilization of public resources, selection of sustainable building materials, and creation of a healthy and comfortable professional environment. Further, Spiegel HQ complies with all demands of the international Green Building label.

Key technology for the limitation of energy consumption in Spiegel HQ includes extensive application of solar and geothermal facilities and an effective heating/cooling system integrated within concrete floor slabs. Concisely, the energy consumption of Spiegel HQ will be less than 100 kWh/m²a – a superior value significantly lower than the current standard (243 kWh/m²a) for office buildings in Germany.

The assertive angular appearance of Spiegel HQ is inspired by aerodynamic nautical sales; each structure defines and simultaneously embraces the spliced urban surroundings. The Spiegel-Building and Ericus-Building embody robust legible figures. As commercial icons, the two buildings solidly unify Hamburg’s harbour and city centre.

Established in 1959, Henning Larsen Architects (HLA) is a world-renowned architecture studio with Scandinavian roots and global reach. In order to best serve our clients and projects world-wide, the main office in Copenhagen, Denmark is supported by offices in Damascus, Reykjavik, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. HLA designs with a high degree of social responsibility - not only in relation to materials and production but also regarding positive, social spaces encouraging intimacy and community. We consider energy reduction a parameter equal to traditional structural parameters. Sustainable objectives include social values in addition to infrastructural, demographic and climatic values. Our projects currently comprise buildings and master plans in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Spain, Georgia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, and the Netherlands. HLA cultivates site-specific concepts from an interactive dialogue between global collaborators, demanding clients and knowledgeable users. In the last 5 years, Henning Larsen Architects has been awarded 1st prize in over 25 international competitions on the basis of creative, compelling solutions to complex challenges.