A three-juror panel in Hamburg has announced David Chipperfield Architects as the winner of its two-stage competition to build the future headquarters of the nation’s largest insurance company, Signal Iduna Group.

The firm submitted plans for a multi-building office complex in Hamburg’s Eimsbüttel district that will represent its second major commission in the city in recent years.

DCA’s Berlin office beat out 11 other entries with its design featuring several buildings made from recovered materials and composed of varying timber, mixed-timber, and concrete frames customized to match their differing spans. 

Centered by a courtyard house that will greet workers and users of its ground-floor public space the new complex will “integrate into the heterogeneous urban environment consistently and confidently” by joining with a closed street to create a flexible scheme capable of adaptation throughout the buildings' intended lifespan.

Per the architect: “The complex also opens up to the public urban space on the other sides with street-facing loggias and inviting passageways into the block interior. The loggias mark the entrances and the orientation of the individual buildings. Different building heights, terraced paths, and squares within the block development and generous planting lend a landscaped appearance to the campus. The serial arrangement of the façades replicates the structure of the buildings whilst developing its own proportional pattern through multi-story orders and corner contractions.”

Signal Iduna Group Chairman, Ulrich Leitermann, pointed to the plan’s longevity and consideration of transit accessibility, his primary reasoning for selecting Chifferfield’s design. 

“We have considered all aspects of sustainability when selecting the winning entry. We are therefore pleased that a contemporary and sustainable mobility concept will complement this excellent location with its direct link to the public transport network of long-distance and local rail services and its short walking distance to the city center,” he said in a statement. “In terms of the cityscape, too, the campus will blend harmoniously into the surrounding developments including office, educational and residential uses.”