119_Main customs office Hamburg

The new main customs office is a striking addition to the existing building block and forms its homogeneous northern end. With its eight-storey structure and a street-side façade, it meets the requirements of the development plan while still having its own independent identity. A respectful gap connects the new building with the listed Protoyp car museum and serves both to illuminate the interior and as access to the new inner courtyard.

 The exterior design is based on the brick façades of the existing building, with prefabricated brick elements stacked in a modular grid to create a lively façade. Integrated sun and glare protection as well as individual balconies break up the appearance and create break-out spaces for employees. Particular attention was paid to the east façade facing Lohsepark, with a large number of green balconies to emphasize the relationship with the landscaped park.

The interior is dominated by a warm and inviting atmosphere thanks to the generous use of wooden surfaces. Public areas such as the foyer are spacious and inviting, while clear pathways make it easy to find your way around the building. The elevator, which takes visitors to the office floors, forms a striking element in the foyer. The office layouts are spacious and offer both individual cubicles and open-plan offices. Two circulation cores and generous atriums ensure clear visual connections and exchange between the floors, while individual sculptural staircases create additional connections. Break-out spaces break up the corridor areas and can be converted into offices if required.

The functions of the building are well thought out: basement floors house parking spaces and technical rooms, the first floor and mezzanine are reserved for public functions, and the staggered floor houses the management of the main customs office as well as conference rooms with access to the roof terrace.

SUSTAINABILITY

Thanks to the CO₂-binding timber construction method, the new building actively contributes to reducing CO₂ in the atmosphere. Attention is paid to the use of local wood from responsible forestry. The visible wooden surfaces are not sealed, but only treated with natural oils. The gypsum fiberboards and plaster are coated with silicate paints. Thanks to their moisture-retaining properties, both surfaces also contribute to the natural air conditioning of the room.

Heat is generated via a connection to the district heating network and distributed in the building via underfloor convectors. A highly efficient compression refrigeration machine powered by photovoltaics is used for the remaining cooling supply (e.g. server rooms). The washbasins in the toilets and the kitchenette are supplied with efficient instantaneous water heaters. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive heat storage.

A large-scale PV system is planned on the green roof of the staggered storey. The arrangement in an east-west direction is intended to cover the consumption peaks in the morning and evening. In combination with an electricity storage system and highly efficient, presence-controlled LED lighting, the aim is to achieve a self-sufficiency of around 60%.
 
The rainwater is collected in cisterns and used for watering the green roof, the courtyard and possibly for flushing toilets. The use of gray water for flushing toilets must be examined in more detail in the further development.

The measures mentioned reduce the building technology and thus the operating costs to a minimum. The measures aim to achieve CO₂ savings of over 50% during operation compared to a comparable new building. A KfW 40 building is possible.

Status: Competition

Client: Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben

Year: 2024

Size: 11,700 m² GFA

Paolo Bradicic, Marc Dufour-Feronce, Niklas Dietrich, Jorik Flohr, Leonard Goldenbaum, Lizzy Ramm, Andreas Reeg

Structural engineering: Ifb Frohloff Staffa Kühl Ecker

Trough: IGU Günther & Lippick

Climate engineering: Transsolar

Fire protection: brandschutz plus