visitor centre st. michael's church
spatial design, facade design and signage system
hamburg 2022

the gloss and the glory


hamburg’s iconic lutheran church of st michael – familiarly known as the “michel” – only  appears to be baroque. in fact the original church burned down and was rebuilt in 1912. conversely, the design of the glass façade for the new visitor centre only appears to be completely new. in reality it plays with the old motifs of baroque architecture, multiplying and transforming them into new patterns. the typeface used in the signage system is new, too – though its forms are typically baroque. and like the glass facade’s gossamer patterning it has a highly reflective finish, adding gloss to the glory. 

projectdata

client:

st. michael's church


architect:

stölken schmidt architekten


communication design:

büro uebele

visuelle kommunikation

project team:

carolin himmel

justyna sikora (project manager)

andreas uebele


facade print:

glasmalerei peters


photos:

hans-christian schink


typeface:

own (borghese) in collaboration with gabriel richter