SEEDS Gates of Heaven

For the period of the reconstruction of HafenCity Hamburg, D:4 participated in the development of architectural structures. The historical use by industry and commerce is being replaced by culture, tourism, leisure and living.

For the period of reconstruction, drafts for the interim use of the site were compiled from 2003 onwards.

The illuminated ring - the heavenly gate - marks the place where the ecumenical meeting center is to be built in HafenCity. The body with a total diameter of 25 m, which is supported by six slender steel columns, is intended to be present in the city silhouette as a symbol visible from afar. The ring is formed by deep-drawn plastic elements with an elliptical profile, while within the envelope body a pressure ring provides the connection between the supports and the structure is stiffened by a spatial tension cable system.
In the immediate vicinity of the Norderelbe, a green oasis rises three steps higher. The illuminated ring hovers above this green area at a height of 15 m. The erection of an altar and the installation of various walls, which also serve as storage space for the seating, suggest a sacred space.

The altar is a simple concrete block which is placed outside unprotected. This makes it one of the first new places in this nascent quarter. Whether it is taken into possession as an untouched object or with graffiti and damage: the result, which is created after a few years, is to be preserved and be the crystallisation point of a later chapel construction.

In order to be able to see the ring at night, the translucent plastic cover is illuminated segment by segment from the inside. The supporting structure is detached from the outer skin to such an extent that shadow formation is avoided as far as possible.