12/3/2018 AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger | ArchDaily

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ArchDaily Projects Office Buildings Germany Fritz Höger 1924 AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger

AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger

00:00 - 9 August, 2011 | by Allison Hyatt
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Text description provided by the architects. The idea for the Chilehaus came when Henry B. Sloman le Hamburg for Chile a poor man
and returned to the city decades later with his newfound fortune. Upon his return, he decided that he wanted to give something back
to his hometown, and so he commissioned architect Fritz Höger to design the Chilehaus, named for Sloman’s success in Chile.

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12/3/2018 AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger | ArchDaily

Completed in 1924, the Chilehaus quickly became a symbol of both Brick Expressionism architecture and Hamburg’s economic revival
post World War I. 

In an attempt to completely fill Sloman’s irregularly-shaped plots of land located in the center of Hamburg’s business district, Höger
designed the Chilehaus to mimic the shape of a passenger ship. 

The building has three tiered balconies on the upper floors meant to look like ship decks, and the eastern edge of the building is
famous for its unique, pointed tip that resembles a ship’s prow. The southern façade also gently curves with the bordering street, giving
the impression of the side of a ship.

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12/3/2018 AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger | ArchDaily

Although the Chilehaus is today regarded as an architectural masterpiece, Höger faced many obstacles in the design of the structure.
The site’s difficult terrain made building on reinforced-concrete pilings that ran 16 meters deep into the ground necessary. And because
of the building’s close proximity to the Elbe River, the building’s cellar also had to be specially sealed. 

Even the building’s heating equipment was protected by caissons that could float within the building to help prevent water damage in
the event of a flood.

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12/3/2018 AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger | ArchDaily

All of Höger’s efforts, however, were not in vain. The building’s 4.8 million dark Oldenburg bricks absorb the sunlight, giving the
building a different, yet always magnificent, glow at various times throughout the day. 

It has over 2,800 windows, each of which offers a new and awe-inspiring view of some of the most scenic places in the city of Hamburg.
It also has three entrance halls that serve as welcoming public spaces. As a whole, both the building's location and design helps to
remind visitors of its symbolic role as a transition zone between the city center and port.

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A er its completion, the Chilehaus quickly became a popular landmark for city-dwellers and tourists alike. Höger’s attention to
function, historical background and cra smanship has resulted in much more than just an outstanding building; it is recognized as an
architectural monument and is currently waiting for approval on the UNESCO World Heritages Tentative List.

© wikimedia.com / Lumu © wikimedia.com / SKopp Photo by Thomas Ulrich Photo by Thomas Ulrich Photo by SteffenHH

Photo by Metro Centric Photo by Mathias Kröning Photo by Tobias Banaszak Photo by cosmo flash

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12/3/2018 AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger | ArchDaily

Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

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Cite: Allison Hyatt. "AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger" 09 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 12 Mar 2018. <https://www.archdaily.com/155101/ad-classics-chilehaus-
fritz-hoger/> ISSN 0719-8884

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12/3/2018 AD Classics: Chilehaus / Fritz Höger | ArchDaily

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