Pergolenviertel in Winterhude stands as one of Hamburg's most significant neighbourhood developments. Nestled between City Nord and the historic districts of Alte Wöhr and Jarrestadt, adjacent to the city park, it draws inspiration from 1920s architecture. E2a Architects from Zurich won the urban design competition in 2012, with construction set for completion in 2023. Across 27 hectares, the development will introduce 1,700 apartments—60 percent of which are subsidised housing—alongside extensive community and social integration programmes, plus innovative mobility solutions. Notably, half the total area is dedicated to parks, playgrounds, and contemporary community gardens. The design framework calls for sculptural brick façades on all large-scale structures, with a deliberately calibrated colour palette shifting from grey to red from north to south. Residential courtyards, striking arched passages, and pergolas work together as defining architectural elements, each contributing to the district's distinctive identity.

The expansive courtyard buildings on sites 1 and 7, designed by Winking Froh Architects, respond sensitively to their urban context while maintaining human proportions through meticulously detailed brickwork. The eight-storey front block of courtyard 1 anchors the northern entrance sequence along Hebebrandstraße. The prescribed building massing—eight, five, and four storeys—shapes the overall form. The courtyard itself functions as both a stone environment and verdant landscape. Arched passages frame distinct, individual perspectives as you move through. Two semi-public courtyards provide access to the buildings. The façade composition embodies a key design principle: the dynamic interplay between structure and variation. While regular pilasters and balustrades establish the visual grid, differentiated brick patterns introduce rhythmic counterpoint. Broad pillars rise vertically at regular intervals, overlaying the uniform framework with alternating fenestration and infill. The refined quality of materials—stone and windows alike—belies the fact that these 280 apartments in site 1 and 88 in site 7 were built through subsidised housing initiatives. Beyond standard provisions, the development includes larger assisted-living units, discretely woven into the broader scheme. Bicycle parking, e-bike charging stations, and cargo-bike spaces address contemporary mobility needs. Completed in summer 2021, the southern courtyard comprises rental apartments, co-housing for residents requiring support services, and a 100-place kindergarten, supplemented by flexible community space, recreation areas, and carsharing in the underground garage. Winking Froh received the 2020 Hamburg Housing Award, First Prize, for these exemplary residential courtyards.

www.winking-froh.de

Photography Credits:

Stefan Müller
www.stefanjosefmueller.de

(Published in CUBE Hamburg 04|21)