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Architects: Carmody Groarke
- Area: 1078 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Johan Dehlin
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Text description provided by the architects. Carmody Groarke has designed a circular aluminium pavilion that will provide hospitality for a 1700-seat temporary theatre built within Hamburg’s Grossmarkt structure. The heritage-listed market building was designed by Bernhard Hermkes and built between 1958-1960. As one of Germany’s busiest fresh produce markets the Grossmarkt turns over 1.5 million tonnes of goods per year, operating 24 hours a day.
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The pavilion’s drum-like form allows uninhibited access to the working market site to hundreds of delivery lorries per day, while its low-lying profile maintains distinctive views to the listed market structure in which the main theatre building is located.
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As one of the only hospitality spaces on the vast 27ha industrial site, the pavilion’s distinct shape marks the beginning of the theatre experience, allowing for efficient ticketing, all-weather queuing outside under its perimeter canopy and a vast square-shaped hospitality space inside for visitor refreshments at show intervals.
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The pavilion’s structure is a radial cross- laminated timber frame, chosen because it is highly sustainable and enables fast track construction and minimising disruption to the operation of the market. The timber frame has a black lacquered finish, creating a theatrical environment within, while the exterior of the pavilion is clad in bright corrugated aluminum, which subtly reflects the activity of the surrounding market. At the centre of the pavilion, a courtyard for the visitors passively ventilates the building.
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