David Chipperfield Architects’ Empire Riverside Hotel in Hamburg celebrates its “Grand Opening” Feb 2008

Photographs : Ralf Buscher


Photo © Ralf Buscher

David Chipperfield Architects were appointed with the design following a competition in 2002. The hotel, with its unique position above St. Pauli’s Landungsbrücken, has 328 rooms and spectacular views over the River Elbe.

The hotel complex consists of three different staggered volumes: the 20-storey hotel tower, the L-shaped base of the hotel and the ‘Brauhaus’, a retail and office building. Situated on the former Bavaria brewery grounds, the 74 m high hotel tower rises above the city, creating a new visual landmark in Hamburg’s skyline.

Inside, the hotel building is segmented into two areas. The public area, housing the lobby, conference rooms, restaurant, breakfast room, ballroom and lounge, is located in the base of the complex. In the centre of the base, a four-storey high entrance hall visually links the public facilities through its open structure. The seventeen storeys of the tower accommodate the private hotel rooms and suites. A bar on the 20th floor offers panoramic views of the city.


Photo © Ralf Buscher

The glass-bronze façade is structured with a post-beam construction, covering the buildings as a homogenous layer, unifying the different volumes and providing a subtle backdrop for the neighbouring architecture.

The hotel is owned by the Fraatz and Bartels families, who also own the Hotel Hafen Hamburg.



Empire Riverside Hotel Hamburg : David Chipperfield Architects

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Empire Riverside Hotel Hamburg - page : adrian welch / isabelle lomholt