Rotherbaum ranks among Hamburg's most prestigious neighborhoods. The Grindelviertel, with its century-old Wilhelminian-style facades, tree-lined streets, verdant front gardens, and vibrant restaurant scene, remains one of the city's most sought-after residential areas. For years, a neglected garage site sat dormant at the apex of a curve along Dillstraße—a rare gap left by the limited wartime destruction that affected other parts of Hamburg. Seizing this opportunity, grasp architecture not only designed and planned the building but also realized it as the developer through the specially created project company D11, staying true to the firm's founding philosophy.

Three sightlines converge on the modest 252 m² plot at Dillstraße 11. This quiet street approaches the site from two directions, while a long pedestrian passage connects it to a neighboring residential building. The luminous white sculptural form now anchors this prominent urban location as a commanding focal point. The new structure elegantly closes a long-standing gap: it terminates the row of predominantly white, protected Wilhelminian buildings while simultaneously serving as a modern transition to the functional 1960s apartment block with its pitched roof. Behind the building, the site opens onto an almost parklike, courtyard-style sanctuary of neighborhood gardens—tranquil green spaces that exemplify the area's exceptional quality of life.

The pristine white Corian facade initially echoes the structural language and rhythms of the neighboring Wilhelminian buildings before deconstructing that dialogue in conversation with the 1960s building—a subtle nod to its gabled roof in contemporary architectural terms. Thus, D11 achieves a harmonious integration while asserting its own distinctive character as a striking sculptural statement. Upon entering, the pure minimalism of the white exterior yields to natural materials and warmer tones, creating an inviting interior atmosphere. The five-story building houses three residential units: one spanning the basement, ground floor, and first floor, complete with a terrace and garden; a compact second-floor apartment; and the jewel of the collection—a spectacular top-floor residence featuring a soaring polygonal ceiling, a dramatic triangular skylight, a gallery, and a private roof terrace.

www.grasp-architecture.de

Photography Credits:

Jörg Hempel
www.joerg-hempel.com

(Featured in CUBE Hamburg 02|22)