Marco-Polo-Tower, Residential skyscraper in HafenCity, Germany
The Marco Polo Tower is a reinforced-concrete residential building on the Strandkai spit in Hamburg's HafenCity, next to the Unilever House. Each storey is rotated a few degrees around the building's axis, and floors widen up to the twelfth before the top four shrink; curved terraces ring every flat. The lobby spans two levels.
The building was completed in 2009 and was the first private residential project in HafenCity. It marked the beginning of transforming the former port area into a modern housing district.
Locals call the tower "Dönerspieß" (doner spit) because of its twisted outline. The residential floors are private and cannot be visited, so the shape is best seen from the Marco-Polo-Terrassen and the Strandkai waterfront. Small restaurants on the ground floor are open to passers-by.
The building is located in HafenCity right on the Elbe and is well connected by public transportation. You can view the exterior design and waterfront location directly from the wharf area.
Each floor rotates gradually around a central axis, causing the floor plans to expand progressively until the twelfth level. Above that, luxury penthouses feature smaller and entirely different shapes that contract toward the top.
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