Hanse Viertel

The existing roadside development was reconstructed and added to, whilst the block interior was utilized with a low-rise development. The aim of the architects was to create a "passage": to be used as a short cut, but simultaneously as an attractive walkway without background music and obtrusive advertisements.

The shopping arcade has to be an attractive public place of communication, whilst simultaneously presenting a clear architectural experience equivalent to commerce. The whole concept is characterized by the aim to unify the building task and the site-specific conditions through an architectural analogy. In tune to the exterior façades and the existing neighbouring buildings, the floors and walls in the interior are constructed from locally used brick. Domes and brick columns dominate the interior effect. The understanding of the shopping arcade as a public streetscape leads to its regularity towards the entrances and exits and transparency towards the ceiling. The arcade has to be busy at night and on the weekends; therefore, restaurants are located underneath the domes.