Speicherstadt building wins Building of the Year on 16 October

Speicherstadt was the setting for the Central Machine Station receiving the Building of the Year 2025 award on 16 October 2026. The restored former power plant stands in Hamburg, where its recognition brings a newly completed part of the historic warehouse district into current travel interest.

Central Machine Station receives the 2025 building award

The Hamburg Association of Architects and Engineers, known as AIV, awarded the former Central Machine Station the title Building of the Year 2025. The announcement came from HHLA on 16 October 2026 and identifies the building as Block M28a and M29 in Speicherstadt. HHLA's award announcement describes the honour as recognition of cooperation between architects, engineers and the client.

HHLA Immobilien restored the surviving historic structure and added a modern front building. The new section closes the gap left by wartime destruction while taking up the quarter's brick architecture in a contemporary form. BIWERMAU Architects won the architectural competition for the project, with WP Engineers also involved in its delivery.

How the restored machine station fits Speicherstadt

The building was once a power station supplying the warehouse district with electricity and hydraulic power. A block containing the station was destroyed in 1943 and remained incomplete for decades. The project therefore connects a visible wartime loss with a completed addition inside a protected historic setting. Regional reporting on the project notes the meeting of older industrial architecture and modern construction.

Speicherstadt has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. The award matters for visitors because the restored machine station makes the district's changing building history legible: an energy centre, a war-damaged gap and a new mixed-use structure now occupy the same urban ensemble.

The completed scheme contains approximately 4,000 square metres in three rental units. The historic foundations were uncovered and restored in the basement, while the former machine hall received a new use in spring 2026. These details place the award within a wider process of adapting historic fabric without removing its earlier layers.

Visiting Speicherstadt: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The decisive news date is 16 October 2026, when AIV's Building of the Year 2025 award for the Central Machine Station was announced.
• The award is recognition of restoration and new construction, not an announced special opening or public programme. The announcement concerns the building in Block M28a and M29.
• The machine station lies on Sandtorkai between HafenCity and Hamburg's old town, with the block facing towards the Magellan Terraces and bordering Brooksfleet.
• The wider district is defined by historic warehouse buildings, canals and bridges. The machine station's restored basement foundations add a specific architectural point of interest to that setting.

Searching for Speicherstadt on social platforms

These links open searches for Speicherstadt on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Speicherstadt

When was the Building of the Year award announced?

AIV's Building of the Year 2025 award for the Central Machine Station was announced on 16 October 2026.

What has changed at Speicherstadt?

The surviving machine station was restored and joined to a modern front building that closes a wartime gap.

Where is Speicherstadt and how do you get there?

Speicherstadt is in central Hamburg between HafenCity and the old town. The machine station is on Sandtorkai beside Brooksfleet.