In 2003, the Hamburg Senate decided to convert and extend the southern Deichtorhalle, a former market hall which already served as an art museum, into the “House of Photography” to accommodate the significant photographic collection of Prof. H. C. Gundlach. New uses like a specialist bookstore, a restaurant, a library, and a large seminar room were added to turn the “House of Photography” into a new cultural venue. In addition to spatial changes, the project comprised considerable demands on air-conditioning, security, flexibility, lighting management, and archiving. The architectural solution simply is a “house-inhouse” concept. A new roofless house reaching up to 6 metres was inserted. The new architecture does not push to the fore but maintains and complements the beauty and power of the old market hall, allowing the future exhibits to be the centre of attention.

Photos: Judith Behnk, Dorfmüller Kröger Klier