The competition for an office building at Ebberg was the product of an initiative by a young Hamburg based law practice. The practice needed to expand its own premises and in doing so wished to develop a thin and highly idiosyncratic site situated parallel and close to the Hamburg docks waterfront. The brief called for a series of lettable floors, one to be designed to the client and an eating area for those both working in the building and the public.
Strategically the building was given two aspects, the area facing the street was to be open floors and at the back, next to the embankment, the service spline was to be located serving each level of the building. The external language of the building developed from this practical decision. The service area was carved out of a solid sculpted concrete shell from which the seconday structural system hung. The front facade was predominantly glass, with glass being taken around the apex of the building, allowing the occupants full benefirts of the view towards Fishmarket. The entrance to the building is a narrow tunnel of space in which hangs a progressively more cantilevered stair. The only office floor that has more specific designed components is that designated for clients at the top of the building. This floor has its own meeting room which is suspended above the stairwell, it has views in all directions and access to a private roof terrace. The ground floor contains a small restaurant whose last table sits under the shaft of space that uses the entire height of the building and has uninterrupted views towards the long vista.