Studio

Founded by Alexander Hardegger, an independent architect who has operated his own firm since 2001, HARDEGGER ARCHITECTS works from a loft in the Mayor’s House (Bürgermeisterhaus) at the Neuer Wall in Hamburg. Design, engineering, construction - the firm’s creative architects specialize in challenging projects in all project stages, particularly high-end homes for private clients, re-envisioning existing (protected historical) buildings, and designing for commercial clients in the public and private sectors.

The team, which is currently 22 members strong, covers the entire spectrum of architectural services, unusual in this day and age – from the first line on a sketch roll to construction completion and beyond, if desired by the client. In the manner of master builders, HARDEGGER ARCHITECTS are generalists covering all trades and all project stages who keep a tight rein on projects in the interest of the firm’s clients.

Regardless of project size or budget, the result is always truly special – thanks to a passion for the project vision, precision, and attention to detail.

In summer 2022, we expanded and focused the spectrum of construction services offered by HARDEGGER ARCHITECTS GmbH by founding HARDEGGER ENGINEERING GmbH. We invite clients to work with a team of specialists to professionally shepherd previously designed buildings through the later project stages 5–9 (from Construction Design through to Project & Construction Supervision and Documentation) to successful completion in every case – even if the project has already gotten off track. In individual cases, services are provided for the construction projects even after project stage 9 has been completed.

If desired, the engagement can result not only in completion of the project according to specifications, but instead and at the same time refinement of certain parameters of the project or even the entire design.

The founding of HARDEGGER ENGINEERING GmbH put in place a formal project development framework for construction services clients have increasingly demanded from HARDEGGER ARCHITECTS for years now.

LOCATION: HAMBURG
CLIENT: ALEXANDER HARDEGGER
PROJECT PERIOD: 11/2015 – 01/2016

In fall 2015, we found our new offices on Bürgermeister-Petersen-Platz on the lower third of Neuer Wall in the direction of HafenCity: an office loft on the second floor of the historically protected “Bürgermeisterhaus” with a view directly onto Alsterfleet canal.

We gutted the space and completely redesigned it with a view to modernism, abstraction, and clarity, although this was not easy to accomplish.

For the flooring, we chose a light-colored beech (originally intended to be made into structural timber framing) that was transformed into three-ply sheets and mounted over a loosely installed wooden substructure without damaging the existing dark parquet floor, creating a low hollow space for installing cables.

The modular structure made of beech plywood sheets measuring 1.24 m by 2.48 m then provided the matrix for all further installations. As an impactful new modular structure, it forms a counterpoint to the historical, “imprecise”, and blunt-angled facade.

The floor plan is laid out in an L-shape, the ends of which are sectioned off by floor-to-ceiling glass windows and culminate in the conference room and the elevated executive suite. The “slanted” and only supporting beam in the entire space was integrated into the “joint” of the L-shape and is at the center of a homey lounge for employees and guests, an oasis in the storm of daily operations.

Another particular attraction of the office is the location, which combines down-to-earth Hamburg style with Venetian flair. The loft is situated within sight of Hamburg City Hall in a stone-clad environment in the heart of the city, which shapes the atmosphere in the office in different ways. In the daytime, the dominant view is of the traffic on the bridges, the boats passing by on the canal, and visitors strolling on Neuer Wall street, while at night, the lights of the surrounding high-rises shine into the office.