The EMPORIO Tower has become an integral part of Hamburg’s city skyline. Its floor plan typology, consisting of three building wings radiating out from a triangular service core, is an exemplary expression of flexibility and reversibility. Built between 1961 and 1964 by the architects Helmut Hentrich and Hubert Petschnigg as Hamburg’s first high-rise building for the Unilever Group, the building was given listed status by the Hanseatic City of Hamburg in 2001. After Unilever moved to HafenCity, a complete refurbishment of the building was commissioned. Preserving the listed building while simultaneously modernising it in terms of its energy efficiency, building physics, organisation and technology should give the building a new lease of life. For the new EMPORIO Tower, the building was completely gutted and the technical systems on the roof dismantled. The tower has received a makeover with the addition of two extra floors, taking the building to 24 storeys or 98 metres. For the faithful reconstruction of the new façade, 2700 façade units were replaced. To improve the energy efficiency, the upper floors now have a twin-wall façade with a box window solution. The thermal insulation values are better than the requirements of the German Energy Saving Ordinance in terms of a low-energy building. The listed sections of the building with historical architectural value, such as the ground floor façade, the foyer and the event hall in the basement, have been extensively renovated.

Source: City profile magazine, issue Hamburg

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