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The ottensenOpen relies on robust solutions in busy sanitary rooms

Where once a multi-storey high-rise bunker marked the entrance to Hamburg's popular trendy Ottensen district, there now stands one of the district's most interesting office buildings: the ottensenOpen. The planners selected robust barrier-free sanitary solutions from HEWI for the heavily frequented office building. 

Ottensen is one of Hamburg's most popular residential, business and cultural districts. The special charm of the quarter in the west of the city is the colourful mixture of people from all age groups and cultures. In addition, Ottensen is one of the hotspots of Hamburg's gastronomic scene with its numerous bars, cafés and restaurants. And last but not least, the architecture of the district is an attraction in itself. Ottensen captivates with an exciting mixture of old buildings and old industrial architecture from the late 19th and early 20th century.

An attractive office building is being constructed on the former bunker site

The northern entrance to Ottensen was once marked by a six-storey high bunker, which was demolished in 2015. Several parcels of land were combined on the former bunker site for the construction of a new office building. The architect's office Huke-Schubert Berge designed an office building on the newly created area, which creates a successful symbiosis of old and new, traditional and modern.
The reddish-brown clinker brick façade on the street side and the regular arrangement of the windows with a recessed parapet, which is emphasised by a special clinker brick decorative element, are reminiscences of the classic industrial architecture in the former industrial district of Ottensen.

ottensenOpen: inspired by historical industrial architecture

The ottensenOpen exudes a mixture of calm and excitement. The architects combined the varied and exciting cubature of the building with its recesses and curves with a regular and calm façade division. At the same time, the office building blends in extremely harmoniously with the surrounding architecture of Otten, which consists mainly of old buildings. The six-storey building picks up on the existing heights of the neighbouring houses. In order to further improve the visual integration into the existing buildings, the architects created a recess on the fifth floor at the height of the eaves of the adjoining buildings. At the rear of the ottensenOpen, the five-storey structure forms the modern shape of a commercial courtyard. The inner courtyard is reached by a passageway from Barnerstraße.

State-of-the-art standards also in the area of accessibility

The ottensenOpen office building has an above-ground area of approx. 12,600 square metres. The building was deliberately designed in such a way that the space can be used very flexibly and different sized units can be formed as required. Thus, use is possible both in the form of individual and team offices as well as in the form of open work areas. The housing cooperative Altonaer Spar- und Bauverein has set up its new office on the ground floor and parts of the first floor.

The technical equipment of the office building meets the latest standards. The building has lifts and barrier-free access.On each floor the architects have planned barrier-free WCs. In the basement there are almost 100 car parking spaces, including charging stations for electric vehicles. In addition, the ottensenOpen has sufficient bicycle parking spaces. 

Barrier-free solutions in the sanitary areas

The architects chose the Range 805 from HEWI for the barrier-free sanitary rooms. The reduced design of Series 805 allows for a clear room setting. Down to the smallest detail, this series shows that good design and intelligent functions form a unity. For example, the functional area of the dispenser systems is made of high-quality polyamide with a colour contrast.

The folding support handles of the Series 805 Classic are made of satin stainless steel and have many advantages: The material is particularly robust and easy to clean. The sturdy construction offers protection against vandalism and misuse as well as safe use. Especially in the public area it is important to provide access to public life without barriers for all people regardless of their physical conditions. 

Architect's Office Huke-Schubert Mountains

The architectural office Huke-Schubert Berge has been involved for over 30 years primarily in social housing construction in Hamburg. The architects' core competence lies in the development and realization of urban residential projects that are geared to the living conditions of the residents and at the same time affordable while maintaining high quality standards. Over the past three decades, more than 2,000 apartments have been built in Hamburg on the basis of Huke-Schubert Berge's plans, often in close cooperation with building cooperatives. In addition, the 25-strong team of the architectural office is also active in the planning of office buildings. 

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