The Box
Program
Mixed-use revitalization:
school, residential
& commercial
Location
Hanover, Germany
Year
2026
Status
competition 2. prize
Size
50.000sqm
Client
Oliver Blume / The Box Projektentwicklungsges. mbH
From Product to People
Once a department store for goods,
now a house for people.
The heavy envelope gives way – the closed tile becomes a walkable “box.”
Scaled from the measure of merchandise to the measure of human life, spaces filled with light and terraces with lush greenery emerge. The heavy tiled roof transforms into a light crown.
What was closed becomes open.
What was product-centered becomes alive – a new address for the city center.
The revitalization of the former Kaufhof in Hanover transforms an introverted retail structure into an open and vibrant urban building block. Where goods were once sold, a place for learning, living, and encounter is created – a new attraction for the city center.
The distinctive, closed facade is opened and reinterpreted. In place of the heavy envelope, a transparent and lightweight structure with maximum daylight penetration is introduced. Walkable, three-dimensional “boxes” reinterpret the historic tile grid at a human scale. They form balconies, terraces, and places of stay – an active interface between city and building.
The new life inside becomes visible. Lush greenery on loggias and roof areas creates spatial quality, improves the microclimate, and gives the building a vibrant, evolving identity.
The roof is redefined as a light and open crown. A permeable steel structure replaces the massive tiled roof while preserving the characteristic silhouette in dialogue with the Marktkirche.
Above, 100 modular box apartments are arranged with generous outdoor spaces and a communal roof garden – structured into panoramic, retreat, and community areas.
The sports hall is integrated compactly without appearing as a foreign body. The existing structural system is largely preserved and precisely supplemented. Prefabricated timber modules minimize weight and construction time.
Sustainability is an integral part of the concept:
Retaining the structure significantly reduces embodied carbon. Natural ventilation, thermal mass, extensive greenery, and resource-efficient materials ensure a robust and climatically balanced building.
