Hamburg, 2023
The railway station mission has been located in the main building of Hamburg main station for what feels like an eternity. Now it has been pushed out to make way for more profitable uses. The social services had to be rethought in a self-sufficient building between the station and the Kunsthalle: A large reception desk next to the multifunctional lounge and event room, a quiet room, administration and support rooms, storage and a hygiene center, the only one of its kind in Germany, were created in an area of 400 m2. After various complete designs, the CARSTEN ROTH ARCHITEKT office was finally asked to completely redevelop the external appearance, which was only possible with a completely new floor plan despite all the requirements that had been precisely defined down to the square meter.
We were very impressed by the social work of the railway station mission, which is partly funded by donations from Hamburg residents - for example, it provides emergency care for people with care level three who are homeless and live in wheelchairs! Our building is intended to honor this work, make it visible and offer the most needy in society a respectful place to go: Over the entire length of 40 m, a glass façade accompanies a long corridor that provides access to all areas: Reception, waiting room for children, kitchenette, administration and more. An equally long mirror inclined at 45 degrees accompanies the clerestory and amazes outsiders with a vertical view from above of the constant activity of the staff - here, help is provided “24-7”, everything is in motion. Sliding metal screens provide additional insight into the building. A modest sign under the eaves provides passers-by with information about the services on offer.
This is perhaps the first time ever that a station mission has appeared so visibly in a city. The design aims to raise awareness of the social need, makes people aware of the need for help and shows the donors that their generosity is just as successful as it will remain necessary to raise further donations. The house is the self-confident result of the social commitment of Hamburg society.
The highest building authority, the district, Deutsche Bahn, the specialist planners, the road warden and, last but not least, the patient future users - all of them have brought this building to completion with great idealism on a challenging site in terms of urban planning, history and traffic. The respectful treatment of each other before and after the opening of the building is obviously programmatic here.
The flexibility of the floor plan with its multifunctional space and the possibility of combining it with the Room of Silence offers completely new possibilities that were not previously envisaged. In the meantime, there are already requests for further additional offers: Events with music, lectures, readings and much more are currently being considered. A reading on the subject of homelessness with the author and a homeless person in front of school classes was a first very moving beginning, which has promoted these new ideas.
The need and neediness of individuals should not be met here in silence, invisibly or shamefacedly, but visibly and proactively. Everyone can and should see what is happening here: HELP IMPLEMENTED SPATIALLY AND SYMBOLICALLY, STAGED SIMPLY AND YET CHARMINGLY.
You can get insights into the work of the railway station mission and support options such as donations here:
https://bahnhofsmission-hamburg.de/
Awards:
1st prize BDA Hamburg Architecture Award and 3rd prize in the Abendblatt Audience Award
Video-presentation for BDA 1st prize: https://vimeo.com/1033010278
1st prize at the polis award 2024 in the social neighborhood development category
DAM Award 2025 nominated
FVHF Award 2024 nominated
