Kids’ Workshop House St.Pauli
Architect: Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Jan Hormann
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Type: Workshop
Year: 2024
Photographs: Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Jan Hormann
The following description is courtesy of the architects. The „kids’ workshop house St.Pauli“ in Hamburg is a place where children can develop their creativity and playfully explore the world of crafts.
As part of the restructuring of a green corridor, it was given a new location with a spacious outdoor area in the middle of a park. The client is the Hamburg Altona district authority. The project was completed in summer 2023.
User participation
Already in the early phase of the design process, not only the suggestions from political committees but also the ideas and wishes of the future user group were incorporated.
The operator of the kids’ workshop house organised events at which the children in the neighbourhood were able to contribute their ideas through drawings and models.
A key realisation from this participation was the importance of an architectural language that appeals to both children and park visitors. The interpretation of classic pitched-roof houses lends the building an identity-forming presence.
Integration into the environment
The well thought-out enclosure of the outdoor area contributes to the integration of the kids workshop house into the overall concept of the park. The fence runs organically between the trees and varies in its design. It was clad in sections with larch boards, with various concrete plinths as benches and planters, as well as several gates arranged along the course of the fence. By opening the gates, the outdoor area can be extended towards the park, turning the actual separation between the public and semi-public areas into a playful element in the park.
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Flexible spaces
The floor plan of the kids workshop house follows the concept of open and inviting architecture. The entrance area with wardrobe and sanitary facilities acts as a distributor between the common room and the workshop and is the barrier-free gateway between the forecourt and the back outdoor area.
The multifunctional room can either be assigned to the common room as an additional room for the children, or it can be used as an extension of the office for family meetings and conferences.
The office is offset towards the front to ensure social control through the visual connection with the forecourt. In addition to the barrier-free entrances, all rooms have patio doors as a connecting element between the interior and exterior spaces. A special room above the entrance area is the “hayloft”, a open space with a gable roof, which is used by the children as a place to hide and communicate.
Sustainable construction
The chosen construction method reflects the demand for durable and sustainable architecture. The solid timber construction not only offers ecological advantages, the robust construction also fulfils the requirements of a kids’ workshop house in the long term without compromising on comfort. The consequent and visible use of wood as a material creates a cosy indoor climate and a comfortable atmosphere for playing and learning.
The supporting structure made of cross-laminated timber elements was delivered directly from the manufacturer to the building site and assembled within a few days.
The suspended insulation layer was installed on site, which allowed a high degree of flexibility in the construction of the connection details.
Facade wood from the district
On the outside, the building presents itself as a self-confident timber building with a classic ventilated façade made of untreated rough-sawn larch boards. The facade boards were produced in Hamburg Altona‘s district forestry workshop with its own small sawmill using wood from the district‘s own forest.
The decision in favour of a wooden façade was made early on in the design process so that the appropriate trees could be felled and sawn in time, and the boards had sufficient time to dry. Once the timber construction work had been assigned, the boards were checked for quality by the contracted company and installed.
The kids workshop house St. Pauli in Hamburg combines sustainable construction, functionality and aesthetic design in an exemplary way to offer children an inspiring place to play and learn.
Project Team
- Architect: Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Jan Hormann
- Construction management: Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Gilbert Moedebeck
- Structural engineering: GS-Ingenieure Germer & Petersen
