ALL SOLD FROM PLAN

Like in the pastry shops of old, the apartments in Kirchenstraße 9 sold like hot cakes. New buildings being fully sold is now common – in highly desirable locations. And that with prices for developments near the Elbe and the Alster having risen by an average of 30 % since 2010.

It‘s a jewel on the bank of the Elbe, just a few steps from the water and the fish market. In a lively city location. Hanseatic and reserved, yet with an unusual silhouette. Attributes that attract buyers for whom only a few years ago Altona would not have been befitting as a residential location. Whilst the Hansestics found Altona, with its red brick facades, to be “all too near” - nowadays it is sought-after – as well as red clinker brick slips. For this is a protected area.

Previously, preservation orders were familiar mainly for “white Hamburg”, with its art nouveau districts such as Generalsviertel or Rotherbaum. But now it is “red Hamburg” where developers and investors in Altona are obtaining them. They are not for the Reeperbahn red light district, which is only 600 metres away. But they are being decreed by law for building projects in the so-called “red brick district”. Great times for Ströher, because preservation of Hamburg‘s brickwork inheritance opens up a huge market for clinker brick slips. Hamburg architects and town planners, LRW , chose the special brand Zeitlos, colour “Eisenrost”, DF format. Combined with the most up-to-date exterior insulation and finishing system technology, this forms the perfect team. And that doesn‘t just apply to new-builds, but also to extensive renovations. The overall impression of the red brick facade is preserved, yet it meets the most current EnEV (German regulations for energy saving in buildings and building systems). A 50s-style tenant building, with reasonably-priced bijou apartments and a bakery, is to lay the foundations for this distinctive construction project. So demolition and planning permission for the 700 m² site also had to pass the test of Hamburg‘s “social regulations”. For Altona has become a sought-after city location. A district with strong pressures on upward revaluation and displacement. Long established residential structures are subject to protection. Since existing residents in the area could mostly not afford the apartments after a luxury modernisation or a change to private ownership. A real dilemma for both sides. But Kirchenstraße 9 was deemed worthy of approval with 23 private apartments, basement car park and its perfectly integrated red clinker brick slip facade.