Il cappello sull’Alster

A historic Gründerzeit building on the banks of the Alster carried a roof that no longer told its story. After the war, the reconstruction had lost the harmony of the original design, leaving an attic that was dark, fragmented, and hardly livable.

New dormers are introduced with care, blending seamlessly into the historic façade and restoring balance and dignity without overwhelming the structure. Inside, spaces are reimagined to revive the building’s character while adapting it to contemporary life: living and kitchen areas flow together, sleeping spaces remain intimate, and subtle details make the attic both bright and comfortable.

The building settles again into the city, neither claiming nor yielding. Its roof gestures quietly over the street, a subtle conversation with Hamburg, while the attic remains a space in flux, suspended between memory and what is yet to come.