Anne Hangebruch Mark Ammann Architekten

Description

An international architectural competition was held in 2015 for the design of three different building types for private clients on the site of the historic merchants’ quarter in Lübeck’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the winners was the Fischstrasse 16 townhouse with two office and five residential units. The project combines the historical type of the Lübeck merchant’s house with the demands and requirements of modern living. Each of the seven units is different: The ground floor has 4.2-metre-high rooms with a gallery level, the first floor develops across the side wing into the depth of the site, and the third-floor duplex opens onto the large roof space, from which the view extends to St. Mary’s Church. The theme of the stepped gable and the exploration of the possibilities offered by brick for a relief structure on the façade were particularly inspiring for the design of this urban house. The street façade is divided into a mural two-storey base with a fine brickwork relief above. The stepped gable reshapes the roof hidden behind it, enlarging the façade area and thus creating a stronger frame for the street space. A total of eight types of moulded bricks were used for the profiles of window reveals, windowsills and pilasters. The angled special bricks emphasise the verticality and the monolithic appearance of the brick relief.