A DREAM PENTHOUSE

The stunning penthouse flat located on the top floors of this building, has been completely redesigned using HI-MACS® for a spectacular exterior.  The top two floors of this four-storey building, situated high above the Hamburg Harvestehude, have been gutted and redesigned into a fabulous two storey penthouse, with breathtaking views over the Alster. The 1970s penthouse now features a HI-MACS® façade, with a stunning 324 sq. m. roof terrace.

To lend an open spatial design to the penthouse, the maisonette has been completely gutted. It was the only way to develop a modern floor plan with contemporary interior fittings, and to renovate the technical building equipment. The top fourth floor and the roof terrace could not be changed structurally outside. Transformation into an exclusive sun trap was achieved by means of thoughtful use of the solid surface material HI-MACS®. It merges the façade and open area into one unit. Considering the initial premises, the task was anything but easy for the Gerdt Architecture Office in Hamburg, responsible for the architecture, interior design and construction supervision. The penthouse and roof terrace stretch between the chimney stacks, different lift shafts and installations, with only a few structural components. In this wild conglomerate, the premises hardly contained any formative structures such as component rows or axles. The room design of the interior space was mirrored to that of the roof terrace, by widening the chimney stack to the pergola. The architects thus made a virtue out of necessity, having created a terrace landscape with open and protected areas using the space-creating and space-separating columns. Once unsightly shafts and chimney stacks appear now as deliberately developed architectural elements, which optically expand outwards the interior space of the penthouse, in a natural way. An open fireplace and lamps in the walls and floor reinforce the impression of an outdoor lounge. The total picture looks as if cast in one piece due to seamless finish of the solid face material. “Precision of edge formation and corner pointing”, emphasises architect Jan-Erik Gerdt when summarising his experience with the solid surface material. Among further benefits of the solid material, are easy processing for joiners, and the possibility of milling as it is done in this project for the large patio planters. HI-MACS® was also used inside for wall cladding of the staircase, and in bathrooms for two wash basin tops.