october 2009 marks the completiton of the office building 'steckelhörn 11' by j. mayer h. architects, located in the old centre of hamburg (close to the prominent new 'hafen city development). it replaces a ruinous building and fills the gap between two historic premises. the triangular-shaped lot stretches across the city block, thus allowing for a narrow façade of about 1.9 m width facing the harbor and a main elevation of about 26.4 m oriented toward steckelhörn street. the vertical design and soft setbacks of the latter pay tribute to the massing of the surrounding structures, as well as to local building-height regulations. cantilevered elements in the main facade create a series of specific spatial qualities on the inside and outside. the top floors provide additional outside space, offering a spectacular panoramic view over the city of hamburg. the particular geometry of the floor plan is the basis for the organization of the building, which architecturally and programmatically presents itself openly to steckelhoern street while at the same time forming a characteristic landmark when perceived from the historic 'speicherstadt' and new 'hafen city'. as the ground level is conceived either as a spacious lobby for the main tenant or a public cafe, the upper floors provide for generous, flexible office space, most of it allowing a view of the 'katharinenkirche' and/or the 'hafen city'. the top floors provide additional outside space on balconies/loggias and a roof terrace, offering a spectacular panoramic view over
the old and new city of hamburg.[source:www.designboom.com]