The city of Hamburg has long been a testbed for architecture. From the breakthrough of expressionism in Chilehaus to the port reconversion into HafenCity, the city is on a constant evolution that pushes architecture.
During the last decade a series of high profile architecture competitions have shaped the city, while opening opportunities to a diverse group of architects. From renowned firms behind landmark projects to breakthrough ideas from young firms. And while each competition yields one built result, they are also archives of knowledge and potential ideas that are often buried. That’s why the Die ganze Stadt (“The Entire City”) exhibit in Hamburg provides a unique opportunity to dive into an amazing archive of thousands of unrealized ideas. Designed and curated by German-Japanese firm Kawahara Krause Architects and the architecture critic Kaye Geipel, an array of more than a thousand hanging banners display the 1,427 singular entries from 171 competitions, forming one singular mass that fills the main hall of the Baakenhöft in HafenCity.
