St. Pauli is more than just a district of Hamburg – and its Reeperbahn is definitely more than just a street. That’s because, this is where you’ll find every kind of fun – from soccer or sports to musicals, festivals and every other form of entertainment, too. But can this famous neighborhood also be architecturally enhanced? Yes, it can! Then, with the “Dancing Towers“ project, the Hamburg’s Strabag Group has recently added a new landmark to the Reeperbahn. The highlight of this project at Reeperbahn 1 is the new 4-star Onyx Hotel – which uses innovative “Sunbelt” glass sheeting from arcon glas for its extravagant facade to provide an elegant contrast to its surroundings.
Visually, the “Dancing Towers” project a sense of erotic and movement, while also giving the Reeperbahn with its new Onyx Hotel a previously unknown feeling of elegance and respectability. Here, both the tradition and needs of Hamburg’s most famous district were cleverly combined by Hamburg architects from BRT, who planned this 45 million euro project located at Reeperbahn 1. Clearly, one of the project’s highlights is its “twisted” facade construction – using glass and steel. Construction of this 24 story complex was begun in May 2010 and completed in the summer of 2012 by Hamburg’s Strabag Group.
Adjacent to the twin towers, 75 and 85 meters high, on the same 5,400 m² site is a new hotel complex with its own 8 story tower. Here, the “Mojo Club” will be opened covering three floors – and offer musical events for St. Pauli’s local residents and guests.
With its understated facade, the Onyx Hotel also provides a contrast to the flamboyant showmanship usually found on the Reeperbahn. Here the lead architect Hadi Teherani, from the Hamburg architectural firm Bothe Richter Teherani, chose a glass facade as a design element with the support of arcon glas in Feuchtwangen – the experts in specialized glass sheeting.
On hotel’s the ground floor façade, covering 610 m², Sunbelt Polaris glass from arcon glas was used: an 8 mm thick, single pane safety-glass. This Sunbelt Polaris glass sheeting also includes a sun screen coating as well as the selective use of a silk screen design. The remaining 3,200 m² of the facade also use Sunbelt Polaris glass, thanks to its sun screening as well as its noise dampening characteristics, including black silk screen motifs of nautical portholes. Finally, for the hotel’s windows covering 595 m², Sunbelt Polaris was also used.
Sunbelt Polaris 65/34 glass sheeting from arcon glas offers excellent thermal insulation with a G-value of 36 % and light transparency of 65 %. In addition, it is also certified for safety and has enhanced noise dampening characteristics. This gives the Onyx Hotel’s rooms and suites an added level of comfort and provides guests with a quiet atmosphere despite being so close to the Reeperbahn’s clubs and entertainment.
During construction, installation of the arcon glass sheeting was performed by two companies: Oderglas in Müllrose, Brandenburg and Gattner Metallbau in Leinefelde, Thuringia.
The Onyx Hotel belongs to the Austrian Arcotel Group and thanks to its prime location, it is the ideal choice for Hamburg visitors interested in musical theatre, soccer or football, the cathedral plaza and the area’s many nightclubs. For example, the Millers Gate (“Millerntor”) is only a few meters from the hotel and the cathedral plaza is just 300 meters away. The Onyx Hotel, named after the precious black jewels, covers 1,600 m² with 215 hotel rooms for 800 guests, including a modern wellness and fitness center.
Info:
arcon glas offers a wide range of magnetron coatings for all types of glass: from float glass to laminated glass, as well as colored glass and various types of single pane safety glass.