Timber and steel are the materials from which ships are made – and beside the glass facade, these are also the materials which dominate the office building at Neumühlen, in Hamburg. The floorplan of the horseshoe-shaped building is orientated towards the river, and the building appears to embrace the river. The building cantilevers almost ten metres over the south-facing embankment of the Elbe, and the glass facades offer spectacular, panoramic views of the Elbe and it’s banks. The double facade protects the interior of the building from sunlight, cold, and also offers acoustic protection. The entrance is unusual: it is located within the embankment on the same level as the underground parking. Thus, the employees and visitors enter directly from the car park into the representative main entrance area, despite entrance being on the embankment level. Like the upper storeys, this area is also well-lit, without artificial lighting: daylight floods the room through a 15metre wide glazed embankment facade.