2011 Elbarkaden wins BMWi competition
The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) has awarded the 'Architecture with Energy Prize' to the Elbarkaden, designed by BGP.
Eligible for the award are building developments which set high standards for architectural quality and low energy consumption. The entries are judged according to the criteria of energy efficiency and climate neutrality, innovation, the energy concept with regard to the urban and architectural context, and the architectural quality, as well as the exemplary nature and sustainability of the design solution.
The Elbarkaden (Elbe Arcades) are part of Europe's largest ongoing urban development project: the HafenCity in Hamburg. Sited beside a former dock known as the Magdeburger Hafen, the design is a considered response to the waterfront location, the surrounding historic warehouse architecture of Hamburg's Speicherstadt and the requirement for a comprehensively sustainable building. Along with the German headquarters of Greenpeace and studios for Designxport, the development accommodates a range of flexible residential units. These three different uses are expressed in the exterior form, which enhances the exclusive location with architecture of the highest quality.
