Gebr. Heinemann Headquarters Hamburg, German Building Extension, Hafencity Architecture

Gebr. Heinemann Headquarters Building

Hafencity Architectural Development, Hamburg design by von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp), Germany

post updated 30 Mar 2021 ; 4 Jan 2017

Gebr. Heinemann headquarters in Hafencity

Design: von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp)

Completion of new headquarter extension for Gebr. Heinemann

gmp finishes new office building at HafenCity in Hamburg – Gebr Heinemann Headquarters development.

Photos © Marcus Bredt

The extension to the head office of the Gebr. Heinemann trading firm in Hamburg’s HafenCity has been completed to a design by von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp). gmp had won the competition in 2013 and, one year later, started with the construction of the office complex in Hamburg’s Elbquartier; the development blends well with its surroundings in terms of aesthetics and shape.

This third building tract is part of an ensemble dating from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, and is a distinctive element of the city – in front of the HafenCity backdrop, on a site area of 1,286 square meters, the extension building adds to the headquarters of Gebr. Heinemann with its two existing buildings between Magdeburger Hafen and Shanghaiallee.

The new building with its first floor and gallery stories, as well as eight further office stories and two underground parking garage levels, has been designed to meet the requirements of the Gold standard of „Sustainable construction in HafenCity“.

The building at Koreastrasse 5 is notable for its location at the water’s edge. The external wall of the building to the north also forms the wall of the Fleet canal, and towers 42 meters above it. The connection with this maritime part of Hamburg is based on the company’s history; Gebr. Heinemann is a traditional company that was founded at this location as a ship’s chandler in 1879.

The extension building makes reference to the cosmopolitan attitude of the internationally active Hanseatic trading house; located directly next to the Heinemann-Speicher, the building blends well with its surroundings, given its brick and glass facade that is typical of the location, the vertically structured facade relief, and the vertical fenestration arrangement across stories.

The new building also references the Maritime Museum that borders the company site to the west in terms of aesthetics and shape, thus mirroring the traditional stability of the quarter. Elements such as the historic loading openings of the storage buildings are reinterpreted with large glazed areas. With its timeless design and its exciting building volume, the structure with its generous terraced flat roofs creates balance between the different eaves levels of the neighboring buildings.

The new and yet independently usable tract is connected with the flanking company headquarters via a glazed connection. Distribution in the building is via a central circulation core. The offices have been arranged around an inner central zone which accommodates shared rooms, such as sanitary facilities. The transparently designed first floor serves as the staff entrance and houses the Gebr. Heinemann Museum, as well as retail premises. In accordance with the client’s wishes, the layout design on the upper floors has been devised to allow maximum flexibility. This makes it possible to divide the space into both open-plan and cellular offices.

Gebr. Heinemann Headquarters in Hamburg – Building Information

Design: Volkwin Marg and Jürgen Hillmer with Stephanie Joebsch
Project management, competition and execution: Andreas Weihnacht
Competition: Tanja Hütter, André Wegmann, Katja Mezger, Achim Wangler
Implementation: André Wegmann, Angela Schmidtutz, Radmilla Blagovcanin, Hendrik Winter, Monika Sallowski, Renata Dipper, Gabi Kottsieper, Tom Schülke, Christoph Pyka, Kenneth Wong
Construction management: Raimund Kinski, Julia Weinert, Som Phone Sysavanh, Annette Walczynski, Andreas Schulz, Katja Poschmann, Natascha Stadtmüller
HafenCity certification: Urs Wedekind
Structural design: Weber-Poll, Hamburg
Services engineering: Winter-Ingenieure, Hamburg
Fire safety: Hahn Consult
Client: Handelsunternehmen Gebr. Heinemann SE & Co. KG
GFA: 9,700 m²

Gebr. Heinemann SE & Co. KG
Gebr. Heinemann is one of the most important players worldwide in the international travel market. In Europe the company is the market leader and, amongst the global players in the industry, is the only family-owned company. In its function as distributor, the company today supplies over 1,000 customers in over 100 countries. In the retail business, Gebr. Heinemann has about 300 Duty Free & Travel Value stores, licensed brand boutiques, and concept stores in a total of 78 airports in 28 countries.

Since 2008, the company has been styling its Duty Free & Travel Value stores in accordance with an unusual brand concept. Today, the Heinemann Duty Free brand is represented worldwide at numerous airports, including Sydney. In 2015, Heinemann served over 40 million customers on 115,000 m² of retail floor area. The Gebr. Heinemann head office has been at what is now Hamburg’s HafenCity since 1879. The family-owned company is headed up by fourth-generation family members and cousins, Claus and Gunnar Heinemann. Gebr. Heinemann has a worldwide workforce of 6,000 people.

Gebr. Heinemann headquarters in Hafencity building images / information from gmp · von Gerkan, Marg and Partners · Architects

Previously on e-architect:

17 May 2013

Gebr. Heinemann headquarters in Hafencity Design

Design: von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp)

Hamburg competition won by gmp Architects

images © gmp

May 17, 2013 – gmp • Architekten builds extension for Gebr. Heinemann headquarters

The architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) have won first prize in the competition for the extension of Gebr. Heinemann Headquarters in Hamburg’s HafenCity. The new building designed for the Hamburg-based, tradition-rich trading company impressed the jury as “an independent urban-planning and architectural contribution characterized by timeless, harmoniously self-contained architecture.” Gebr. Heinemann, originally founded as a ship supplier in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt district in 1879 and now a well-known, modern Hanseatic trading house on the international travel market, invited eight architectural firms to participate in the competition.

The task was to extend the two existing warehouse buildings between the Magdeburg Harbor and Shanghaiallee to create an “ensemble of three striking blocks that form a harmonious triad representing the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.” The new structure directly adjacent to the headquarters and including underground parking, six floors of offices, and two recessed floors, will be built in line with the “Sustainable Construction in HafenCity” gold standard.

Viewed from the northwest, the new extension is a companion piece to the Maritime Museum, with the two buildings flanking the “Heinemann-Speicher” in the middle. From the Ericus Bridge, the new construction highlights the corner of the ensemble on Shanghaiallee and makes a characteristically urban statement.

Like the Gebr. Heinemann company, the design reflects both the traditional solidity of the warehouse district and a flexible adaptation to modern requirements of HafenCity. Although a glazed structure connects it to the “Heinemann-Speicher,” the extension is independently useable with an inviting transparent space on the ground floor. Besides serving as an employee entrance, it can accommodate commercial spaces, an arcade, or a café. On the upper floors, users have maximum flexibility in floor plan design.

All the requisite functional areas are compactly organized around the central access area and the available floor space can be used for an open-plan office, individual offices, or anything in between. Like the main building and Maritime Museum, the design is characterized by multistory windows, a vertical façade relief, and brickwork typical of the region. The area freed by the two recessed floors forms two spacious roof terraces/roof gardens, mediates between the different eaves heights of neighboring structures, and adds an urban tone through dramatic cubature.

images © gmp

Gebr. Heinemann headquarters Hamburg – Building Information

Competition: 2013 – 1st prize
Design: Volkwin Marg and Jürgen Hillmer with Stephanie Joebsch
Design team: Andreas Weihnacht, Achim Wangler, Tanja Hütter, André Wegmann, Katja Mezger
Structural design: Weber-Poll, Hamburg
Services: Winter-Ingenieure, Hamburg
Fire safety: hhp, Berlin
Gross floor area: 10,000 m²
Client: Gebr. Heinemann Trading Company

Gebr Heinemann headquarters in Hafencity images / information from gmp · von Gerkan, Marg and Partners · Architects

gmp · von Gerkan, Marg & Partners

Location: Hafencity, Hamburg, Germany