LATIN AMERICAN MODEL

Sumatra Building
It is early evening on a normal weekday. The setting sun bathes leafy
squares and colorful promenades, floating pontoons and architectural
landmarks in a warm light. People from all over the world dander on the
Überseequartier (Overseas Quarter), drift from the varied range of shops,
restaurants and cafes of the Überseeboulevard . Like a living river wriggles
the promenade through the modern buildings of the district, passes the
culinary market which offers specialties from all over the world, and finally
flows to the overseas terraces at the river Elbe.
The Sumatra Building is part of the new Überseequartier. The facades give
us the impression as if a gigantic white paint bucket would be overturned on
the roof and the color runs down slowly. The rays of the sun are refracting a
thousand times, flooding the impressive foyer light and exuding vibrant
energy.
There are other complex of buildings with sonorous names that are
synonymous with historically valuable trade goods, with which Hamburg’s
traders negotiated worldwide: SUMATRA, JAVA and VIRGINIA stands for
tobacco, ARABIC and PACAMARA for coffee, CEYLON for tea,
CINNAMON for spices, SILK and LINNEN for textiles, and finally
PALISANDER, KAMBALA, LIMBA and MERANTI for exotic woods.