Ester Bruzkus Architekten together with David Chipperfield Architects Berlin have won an international design competition for NOBU Hotel & Restaurant in Hamburg’s HafenCity.

The international competition for the interior of the NOBU Hotel and Restaurant has been won by architects David Chipperfield Architects Berlin with Ester Bruzkus Architekten. Pritzker-Prize winning David Chipperfield is also the architect for the entire building in which the hotel will be located – the new 61-story Elbtower in Hamburg’s HafenCity district, built by the developer Signa. The team of Ester Bruzkus is currently developing the interior design as the tower is being constructed.

The Hamburg Nobu Hotel’s design, materiality and color scheme are based on authentic representations of the local northern German natural landscape – with its harbor, sea, sand, shells, and plants. Simple, natural materials of high quality create an atmosphere characterized by the contrast between cool concrete, natural stone, and warm woods. The clear, reduced design language with finely crafted details approaches Japanese design principles and finds its inspiration in the simplicity of the preparation of Japanese food.

“The colors and materials authentically come from the natural world around Hamburg – its sand, stone, and shells.” – Peter Greenberg, Ester Bruzkus Architekten

In keeping with the Nobu Hotels concept, the heart of the hotel beats in the restaurant. Guests are invited up a monumental staircase from the ground floor bar to the first-floor restaurant, which is designed as a series of discrete rooms that lead to the dining room itself. Flanking the stair hall is a cocktail lounge overlooking the Elbe River, and a lightwood bar that acts as a foyer to the main dining room. The planning of the dining room is designed to create smaller, intimate areas within the space, with guests able to look out over the entire space.

A conference facility is located on the same level as the restaurant, while the 188 hotel rooms and suites, some with private roof terraces, are located on the four floors above. On the sixth floor, a bar with a spacious outdoor area that includes a generous reflecting pool, as well as a fitness club with spa facilities and a Japanese outdoor onsen, offer a panoramic view of the Elbe and the HafenCity. Located on the 56th floor of the tower just above the public viewing terrace, the special highlight is the Nobu Members Club extending the view over the whole of Hamburg and beyond.