Restoration of the church St. Michaelis, Hamburg

Client: Head church St. Michaelis in Hamburg Construction Costs: Approx. 15 million € Services: Project control Cost- and progress control Period: 2005 - 2010

For the repeatedly destroyed head church St. Michaelis, which was last reconstructed in 1912, extensive general restoration measures have to be implemented.

Already since 1983, restoration measures have almost continually been carried out at Hamburg’s “Michel”. In 1996, the extensive restoration work of the tower was completed. >From 2006 to 2007, the masonry of the exterior façade was restored and the crypt beneath the church was renovated.

The restoration works in progress since 2008 inside of the church as well as on the roof of the nave are very complex and difficult to be arranged in accordance with the actual operation of the church. In order to complete the works as quickly as possible, a total restoration time was scheduled to two years only.

In 2008, only a restricted operation of the church was possible, due to the primary concentration of restoring the northern transept, which was separated by a dust protection wall, and the northern part of the roof, which was to be rebuilt completely from the truss to the copper roofing.

In 2009, after the church operation (held from January to October) was relocated to the previously completed crypt of the church, the restoration measures of the rest of the church can now be carried out. For the accom-plishment, there will be a framework of the total interior set up. Visitors during this period can view the work through a partial glass dust protection wall in the completed and separated northern transept.

The work to be undertaken includes in details the renewal and modernization of the entire installation works (heating, sanitary and electrical), whereby, amongst others, a new concept for acoustic irradiation and illumina-tion will be implemented. The interior coating, after 40 years, will be renewed. The scope of work includes also the revision of the conspicuous plastering frets and their partial gold coatings.

The pewage of the church as well as the complete interior like the altar, the baptismal font, the pulpit and many more items will be renewed or cleaned.

Furthermore, the existing “Steinmeyer” and “Marcussen” organs, the antiphonal on the attic of the church, which was out of operation for long time, will be restored and the new “Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor” organ will be installed on the south gallery of the nave.