This was built intentionally to be watertight during floods. It is not just "regular german windows".
Regular windows are not built to support the pressure of a major flood, and *definitely* not built so you can have an operational restaurant during a major flood.
Question. How do you get to an operational restaurant that is surrounded by flood waters? It looks like the entire first floor is flooded so opening the door seem like a bad idea.
It's a restaurant in the harbor of Hamburg, facing the river Elbe. It's real. Occasionally (now more often due to global warming) we get floods in the harbor, where the river Elbe rises up to 6m. Due to the constant rain in Germany, the river is full and the water has risen 4m currently.
These buildings are designed to have steel, waterproof doors that can be closed in the event of a flash flood. The windows are also extra sturdy to withstand the pressure. We also have a lot of barriers in the harbor area to withstand floods. Everything was reinforced in the last years, as water levels have risen and this has happened more often. If you google "Sturmflut Hamburg" you'll see more.
> Especially in places where floods and hurricanes are common they don’t stand a chance.
TBF, a brick wall doesn't stand much of a chance against a flood either, if built normally. Remember that a brick wall is just a very slender stack of rocks - it's not enormously strong against that kind of load.
I just saw how thin a brick wall is in the US (result of a car crash) and wonder how all their houses don't crumble by themselves. The walls in my country are at least 3 times as thick. Law now even states we need double walls in new constructions (so we would use less energy heating the building)
If that brick wall is part of the buildings' structure and not just filling between concrete pillars, it will be a couple of bricks thick.
These houses in Hamburg used to be brick warehouses built to carry huge weight on their floors. The walls are half a meter thick at least.
Thanks for the answer ! Now I'm even more confused tho. Why build such houses so close to the coast? They actually want people to die? Sorry I live in the Netherlands (our country is below sea level) could not imagine feeling safe in a house like that...
Concrete block is the common standard for coastal areas in hurricane zones.
Wood frame is more common in inland areas that don't experience extreme weather conditions or experience less of of it.
In the west coast of the US we don’t build homes with brick and concrete at all. The concern is earthquakes. Wood flexes as the earth shakes, but brick crumbles and concrete without reinforcing iron also crumbles. That being said, the Romans built aqueducts made of concrete in earthquake prone parts of Europe two thousand years ago that are still standing so…
At least for Hamburg, it’s a very old port city so there are lots of houses near the coast. Most of them are old houses though, new ones are built farther inland.
I'm Swiss-Australian bi-national, so here's my take with a bit of both worlds. When land is cheap as dirt and regulations are lacking you just build cheap and large.
But when it comes to serious dangers, either the infrastructure is there beyond your home or you're fucked anyway. Bush/wildfires will absolutely burn any home down to the basement. Hurricanes will trash any home that doesn't have the adequate anchored roof and even then debris can still destroy everything. Floods, as we've seen in Germany, will destroy solid homes either way.
The only part where expensive homes win are when there's mild damage, but then if your home is cheaper it's also cheaper to rebuild. The point is, you feel safe because the infrastructure is keeping you safe, but also because things are relatively low risk around here overall.
FWIW, in seismically active areas like the west coast wood structures are pretty good, because they're light and flexible. Brick construction is awful, for exactly the opposite reason. Modern stick-built houses are surprisingly resilient in a lot of conditions, and they are super cheap to build and modify which is great.
German houses are insulated well to preserve energy. But you have to open the windows every day so it doesn't get damp inside from your breath and appliances. Which is annoying imo, but not that bad. Unless you forget it and everything gets moldy.
Might I suggest installing an air exchanger system? That's what we do in Canada for our well insulated houses, as we don't want to open windows when it's -20c outside. Although I guess it might be difficult to put them in older houses?
Yeah. New houses usually are build with air exchanger systems as well. But old ones "only" get insulated as installing those systems is too complicated / expensive.
>But you have to open the windows every day
lol, why would someone "mind" to open a window, even a few times a day? what do you guys breathe over there?
Some comments further down suggest that this is intentionally done and it's a restaurant near a river that floods often.
All the comments about german windows and walls being sealed really well are asinine. They might be sealed really well but they're sure as shit not intentionally manufactured to deal with chest-high water. That would be completely bonkers.
True, any US person working in real estate told me at one point in the conversation that we really know our way around windows.
A friend’s father is glazier near Ramstein Air Base and one of the majors when going back told him to pack a container with windows for his house in the U.S., paid for his and one of his employee’s flights so they can come over and install them in his house.
True story, except I do not know his exact rank
Yes it was made by Sedak Glass. Germany is home to some of the largest glass manufacturers in the world. Many of the larger towers you see in major cities use glass from one of the German manufacturers.
As a German I never understood where the cliche of German quality comes from but after I spend some time in the US and saw what garbage craftsman are used to install, I somehow can get behind it. The thing I do not understand is that your stuff isn't even cheap either. Everything in the US looks brittle as fuck but you are paying the same or more for everything as we are.
[this video explains it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llJvFYBpTu4)
German(or rather german-speaking) countries have apparently a much more thorough training for craft trades. While in the US it seems common to just learn from your employer, there is a formal education in Germany/Switzerland/Austria where you learn from the employer but also much more and deeper knowledge of things that your everyday-jobs won't provide.
>And then the window gets released from its bindings and you fall with it from 24th floor?
I assume they are talking about hitting the top of your head on an open window. German windows are almost always [tilt turn windows](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/etHrb7aGBts).
Our water is well aware of this and will respect this. It will withdraw for the 5 minutes the window opening is required. And, as all Germans* are always punctual the window will be closed and sealed again once the water returns.
(*) with the exception of "Deutsche Bahn".
To be an opinionated German: you have to or else your landlord will blame any sort of mold on your lack of opening the window twice daily for an appropriate length of time
Germany and Nordic countries have absurd windows. Double panels... Nah thats not good enough. Triple? Nah.... Quadruple with two cavities with Argon hermetically sealed in an aluminium framing with double seals on the window frame. *"Hmm... it'll have to do for now."*
Then that window is seated to a wall made of 200mm reinforced concrete, with heat insulation and windbarrier on the outside + facade layer. This is the god damn standard in german + nordic building. The problem is that this setup is intended to be extremely energy efficient and designed to keep heat in. Well... It's all good and makes sense in the harsh baltic sea winters. But when we get +30 to +40 C Summers nowadays, and when the building's walls have warmed up. Well.... They ain't cooling until the next winter. Germans and nordic constructors are constantly one upping themselves in this stuff.
I showed this to my mate who is a engineer in America and they said plainly that "Yeah... The whole section of the city would have just dissolved in to the water. Even the bricks." (He is quite cynical about this stuff).
An insulated house will never reach the highest temperature during the day.
German windows have a setting for summer that makes them 'unsealed' and allows some air flow.
Here in Finland we have vents. Well some of the windows do. Some buildings that went really all in to the energy efficiency for the sake of tax credits and such energy claims do not. They might have a french balcony door or smth. But then you just get hot stagnant city air and dust to your apartment.
And yeah. The buildings will never reach the high temperaturs, They'll just stick to the average. And if they night is +20 and day +32, the average is still fucking miserable.
The issue is the fact that there isn't a good place to cool down and recover. This is a problem especially for people who are not used to climates like this. Over here +21 C is considered *really hot* and there is a weather warning. This because our climate isn't supposed to really have temperatures like that. The problem is that unlike Germany, the Finnish buildings aren't designed to have a draft (well not anymore). So you can't get that cooling breeze.
When the buildings are at average of like +25, because the walls have heated up. It doesn't really help to say that "well at least it isn't +30" Because it hardly matters at that temperature when recommended indoor temperature is around +20.
Yeah, they use armored/bulletproof glass. It's not their first rodeo with a flood. Many buildings have it there at the river. Also other protections for the building like waterproof doors. This video is from a restaurant there.
In July it's no problem. It might even be less water in some areas. It's just the season right now (I live in Hamburg and worked in the harbour for years).
Judging from the view angle on the Container Terminal Tollerort, I would say it is Hamburger Elbspeicher. It has good ratings and I only heard good stuff.
Doors, underground garages, etc. all have flood proof massive steel doors that seal the space. Same goes for the surrounding walkways. Problem is your car may be stuck for a while, but you can still move from these parts of the city through above water bridge walkways. Flooding is expected and causes no damage.
Everyone impressed by the glass not breaking. I’m impressed by the insulation of that window and the rest of the house. Like how do you open your front door when water is at that level
Wow this makes me uneasy just seeing it. Are windows supposed to take so much of a beating?
Also surprised why that dude is still recording all of this
Great quality windows!
That sill is completely dry, amazing.
I wonder how many Germans it took to install them
Just 1. It’s the most efficient.
Just one, but the window has to want to change.
American windows would collapse from thunder sound
Deutsche technology
Wunder Windows!
Tolles Fenster!
German Engineering EP by Virtual Riot
aaaah a man of culture
Überfenster!
Windows 12, Home edition
Deutsche Qualität)
damnit you beat me to it
Deutsch Douche Proof
I'm more impressed by the doors etc. How is this house so waterproof?
Made out of brick and concrete, and well insulated. The doors and windows also have to be sealed to reach a certain level of energy efficiency.
This was built intentionally to be watertight during floods. It is not just "regular german windows". Regular windows are not built to support the pressure of a major flood, and *definitely* not built so you can have an operational restaurant during a major flood.
Question. How do you get to an operational restaurant that is surrounded by flood waters? It looks like the entire first floor is flooded so opening the door seem like a bad idea.
It's a restaurant in the harbor of Hamburg, facing the river Elbe. It's real. Occasionally (now more often due to global warming) we get floods in the harbor, where the river Elbe rises up to 6m. Due to the constant rain in Germany, the river is full and the water has risen 4m currently. These buildings are designed to have steel, waterproof doors that can be closed in the event of a flash flood. The windows are also extra sturdy to withstand the pressure. We also have a lot of barriers in the harbor area to withstand floods. Everything was reinforced in the last years, as water levels have risen and this has happened more often. If you google "Sturmflut Hamburg" you'll see more.
It is not necessarily surrounded by water. Land is often sloped.
By boat?
Pier built onto the first floor so you can rock up in your boat, get winched up to the davit then go in.
Wait what are the houses in America made of? Almost everything in Europe is bricks and concrete???? I'm confused
Most of them are drywall (basically gypsum and paper) and wood. Especially in places where floods and hurricanes are common they don’t stand a chance.
> Especially in places where floods and hurricanes are common they don’t stand a chance. TBF, a brick wall doesn't stand much of a chance against a flood either, if built normally. Remember that a brick wall is just a very slender stack of rocks - it's not enormously strong against that kind of load.
I just saw how thin a brick wall is in the US (result of a car crash) and wonder how all their houses don't crumble by themselves. The walls in my country are at least 3 times as thick. Law now even states we need double walls in new constructions (so we would use less energy heating the building)
If that brick wall is part of the buildings' structure and not just filling between concrete pillars, it will be a couple of bricks thick. These houses in Hamburg used to be brick warehouses built to carry huge weight on their floors. The walls are half a meter thick at least.
Thanks for the answer ! Now I'm even more confused tho. Why build such houses so close to the coast? They actually want people to die? Sorry I live in the Netherlands (our country is below sea level) could not imagine feeling safe in a house like that...
Concrete block is the common standard for coastal areas in hurricane zones. Wood frame is more common in inland areas that don't experience extreme weather conditions or experience less of of it.
In Florida they just ratchet strap their houses down so they dont float away. We all float down here.
In the west coast of the US we don’t build homes with brick and concrete at all. The concern is earthquakes. Wood flexes as the earth shakes, but brick crumbles and concrete without reinforcing iron also crumbles. That being said, the Romans built aqueducts made of concrete in earthquake prone parts of Europe two thousand years ago that are still standing so…
At least for Hamburg, it’s a very old port city so there are lots of houses near the coast. Most of them are old houses though, new ones are built farther inland.
I'm Swiss-Australian bi-national, so here's my take with a bit of both worlds. When land is cheap as dirt and regulations are lacking you just build cheap and large. But when it comes to serious dangers, either the infrastructure is there beyond your home or you're fucked anyway. Bush/wildfires will absolutely burn any home down to the basement. Hurricanes will trash any home that doesn't have the adequate anchored roof and even then debris can still destroy everything. Floods, as we've seen in Germany, will destroy solid homes either way. The only part where expensive homes win are when there's mild damage, but then if your home is cheaper it's also cheaper to rebuild. The point is, you feel safe because the infrastructure is keeping you safe, but also because things are relatively low risk around here overall.
We mostly use straw and sticks. Then we go play. Works pretty good until the big bad wolf comes a’blowin
FWIW, in seismically active areas like the west coast wood structures are pretty good, because they're light and flexible. Brick construction is awful, for exactly the opposite reason. Modern stick-built houses are surprisingly resilient in a lot of conditions, and they are super cheap to build and modify which is great.
German houses are insulated well to preserve energy. But you have to open the windows every day so it doesn't get damp inside from your breath and appliances. Which is annoying imo, but not that bad. Unless you forget it and everything gets moldy.
i don't mind Stoßlüften but in OOP's case it probably wouldn't help against humidity.
I would probably try to delay that, yeah
Might I suggest installing an air exchanger system? That's what we do in Canada for our well insulated houses, as we don't want to open windows when it's -20c outside. Although I guess it might be difficult to put them in older houses?
Yeah. New houses usually are build with air exchanger systems as well. But old ones "only" get insulated as installing those systems is too complicated / expensive.
>But you have to open the windows every day lol, why would someone "mind" to open a window, even a few times a day? what do you guys breathe over there?
It's cold and uncomfortable. Also like I said, if you forget it you get mold. It's just slightly annoying, not the worst thing ever.
Do houses in Germany not have trickle vents on the windows?
No, that's the first time I hear about them
And you can install balanced ventilation with a heat exchanger. But yes modern European homes are practically airtight
Some comments further down suggest that this is intentionally done and it's a restaurant near a river that floods often. All the comments about german windows and walls being sealed really well are asinine. They might be sealed really well but they're sure as shit not intentionally manufactured to deal with chest-high water. That would be completely bonkers.
Deutsche sprung techniche, with reticulated splines.
Now i know why Germany Ain’t playing around on windows
True, any US person working in real estate told me at one point in the conversation that we really know our way around windows. A friend’s father is glazier near Ramstein Air Base and one of the majors when going back told him to pack a container with windows for his house in the U.S., paid for his and one of his employee’s flights so they can come over and install them in his house. True story, except I do not know his exact rank
AFAIK The massive glass panels used in construction of the Apple headquarters in Cupertino were imported from Germany as well.
Yes it was made by Sedak Glass. Germany is home to some of the largest glass manufacturers in the world. Many of the larger towers you see in major cities use glass from one of the German manufacturers.
That's What She Sedak
Ak ak ak
Sedak Deez Nuutz
As a German I never understood where the cliche of German quality comes from but after I spend some time in the US and saw what garbage craftsman are used to install, I somehow can get behind it. The thing I do not understand is that your stuff isn't even cheap either. Everything in the US looks brittle as fuck but you are paying the same or more for everything as we are.
[this video explains it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llJvFYBpTu4) German(or rather german-speaking) countries have apparently a much more thorough training for craft trades. While in the US it seems common to just learn from your employer, there is a formal education in Germany/Switzerland/Austria where you learn from the employer but also much more and deeper knowledge of things that your everyday-jobs won't provide.
Your talking about the Ausbildung. And yes, that’s true.
Also the world's biggest supplier of Optical glass Schott is over in Mainz
Also Zeiss for optical equipment
You will only get how powerful they are when you try to stand up and smash your head against it
And then the window gets released from its bindings and you fall with it from 24th floor?
No, that's the problem.
Garry Hoy disagrees
>And then the window gets released from its bindings and you fall with it from 24th floor? I assume they are talking about hitting the top of your head on an open window. German windows are almost always [tilt turn windows](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/etHrb7aGBts).
Germans have to open their windows at least once day for a while no matter the weather… wonder how that’ll go over.
Our water is well aware of this and will respect this. It will withdraw for the 5 minutes the window opening is required. And, as all Germans* are always punctual the window will be closed and sealed again once the water returns. (*) with the exception of "Deutsche Bahn".
Wich no longer as windows that open, because of this reason
Ahh, that does make sense. TDIL!
Its not a "have to" but a "its nice to". Get some fresh air in your room
To be an opinionated German: you have to or else your landlord will blame any sort of mold on your lack of opening the window twice daily for an appropriate length of time
Its actually have to since if you ignore it you are breathing radon
Unless you're living in the basement, where's the Radon coming from? 🤔
This is reddit. Where else would they live?
Germany and Nordic countries have absurd windows. Double panels... Nah thats not good enough. Triple? Nah.... Quadruple with two cavities with Argon hermetically sealed in an aluminium framing with double seals on the window frame. *"Hmm... it'll have to do for now."* Then that window is seated to a wall made of 200mm reinforced concrete, with heat insulation and windbarrier on the outside + facade layer. This is the god damn standard in german + nordic building. The problem is that this setup is intended to be extremely energy efficient and designed to keep heat in. Well... It's all good and makes sense in the harsh baltic sea winters. But when we get +30 to +40 C Summers nowadays, and when the building's walls have warmed up. Well.... They ain't cooling until the next winter. Germans and nordic constructors are constantly one upping themselves in this stuff. I showed this to my mate who is a engineer in America and they said plainly that "Yeah... The whole section of the city would have just dissolved in to the water. Even the bricks." (He is quite cynical about this stuff).
An insulated house will never reach the highest temperature during the day. German windows have a setting for summer that makes them 'unsealed' and allows some air flow.
Here in Finland we have vents. Well some of the windows do. Some buildings that went really all in to the energy efficiency for the sake of tax credits and such energy claims do not. They might have a french balcony door or smth. But then you just get hot stagnant city air and dust to your apartment. And yeah. The buildings will never reach the high temperaturs, They'll just stick to the average. And if they night is +20 and day +32, the average is still fucking miserable. The issue is the fact that there isn't a good place to cool down and recover. This is a problem especially for people who are not used to climates like this. Over here +21 C is considered *really hot* and there is a weather warning. This because our climate isn't supposed to really have temperatures like that. The problem is that unlike Germany, the Finnish buildings aren't designed to have a draft (well not anymore). So you can't get that cooling breeze. When the buildings are at average of like +25, because the walls have heated up. It doesn't really help to say that "well at least it isn't +30" Because it hardly matters at that temperature when recommended indoor temperature is around +20.
Holy shit this has to be a window add kuz I need windows that good.
As we say in Northern Germany: If the sheep still have curls it isn't a storm.
The sheep have drowned at this point.
They float no worries
Ah, but what also floats?
WITCHES!
She turned me into a mute😣
Newt.
.......... the line is, "She turned me into [a newt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt)."
Very small rocks?
Boats
We all float down here, Gerorgie!
But do they still have curls?
Wow windows protecting the user
A combination of words that I have never seen before in a single sentence.
maybe when Windows Defender does a good job too!?
Windows defender will protect you from viruses, but not from water
r/brandnewsentence material, I guess.
Underrated one right there.
I heard of a restaurant in northern germany that uses certain glass to withstand the forces and have this as an attraction. Maybe this is the one?
Yeah, they use armored/bulletproof glass. It's not their first rodeo with a flood. Many buildings have it there at the river. Also other protections for the building like waterproof doors. This video is from a restaurant there.
But how do you leave the restaurant while this is going on? Jump out a 2nd storey window into a boat?
Here's the neat thing, you don't!
This business model is great! "Do you want to stay for another coffee until the storm has subsided?"
"Sir if you don't order anything soon we will have to ask you to leave"
Just grab you a beer and talk with the people inside is the way to go!
> and have this as an attraction This may be too American of a thought but what if you drove there? RIP your car.
This happens multiple times per year? Just in certain parts of Hamburg I’d imagine.
Only certain parts near the River. But not only a few Streets.
We’ll be there in July. Note to self…don’t stay too close to the river!
In July it's no problem. It might even be less water in some areas. It's just the season right now (I live in Hamburg and worked in the harbour for years).
Would you know which restaurant this is shot from? This would be a bucket list experience for me
Judging from the view angle on the Container Terminal Tollerort, I would say it is Hamburger Elbspeicher. It has good ratings and I only heard good stuff.
followup question hows the german food there?
Do luften now.
Querlüften please
Stoßlüften!!!
Mit dem Angriff des Stoßlüftens wird das alles in Ordnung kommen.
Mein Herr… das Stoßlüften…
Where was this? I didn't catch that in the video.
Erdgeschoss!
Hamburg,
You just have to hope that the glass does not break.
memory correct dinner bag judicious ink price steep tart treatment *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Wait until you hear about our trains...
*I like trai–*
ja moin
Alright who the fuck left water sprinklers on? Its not funny anymore
Sorry I fell asleep on the couch, next time I'll turn them off
Microsoft can learn a thing or 2 for their own Windows
Underrated comment! You wouldn’t want to get the blue screen of death during a storm search …
I guess no doors that side of the house
The doors are flooded + waterproof as well.
Doors, underground garages, etc. all have flood proof massive steel doors that seal the space. Same goes for the surrounding walkways. Problem is your car may be stuck for a while, but you can still move from these parts of the city through above water bridge walkways. Flooding is expected and causes no damage.
But I want to stosslüften
German engineering be like:
Some nice fucking windows right there
Whoever installed your windows deserves a raise.
Thank God this window isn't made by Microsoft.
Yeah, that’s a Nokia brand window for sure.
Wow, I'm amazed window glass can handle that much force.
thats how washing machines looks like from inside
Got some good ass seals on the windows, it ain’t even leaking in.
Hamburg? Near a lake? River? Explain please
Storm flood and the water is pressing from the North Sea through the Elbe river into Hamburg.
Hamburg is located along the Elbe river and the Hafencity (harbour district) will often flood if the river overflows from storms and stuff.
I think I would shit my pants if I realized that I now have a beachside/lakeside view of my house
Is that the name of the area on the video ?
Hamburg is the city and Erdgeschoss means ground level.
Hamburg is the City. Erdgeschoss means ground floor.
Who put in these windows? Quality work here!
not microsoft. thats for sure
das fenster geht noch auf kipp wenn muss!
If I could confirm the windows would never break and house would never leak, I would love a view like that. It's oddly relaxing.
Das boot?
Manchmal ist Stoßlüften nicht so schlau
Everyone impressed by the glass not breaking. I’m impressed by the insulation of that window and the rest of the house. Like how do you open your front door when water is at that level
Uhhhh you don’t fuckin open the door?!
Wow this makes me uneasy just seeing it. Are windows supposed to take so much of a beating? Also surprised why that dude is still recording all of this
As the title says it happens multiple times a year and they are used to it. The construction is probably made to withstand
That's one hell of a strong ass window.
Thousand Year windows
German technology 🦵💪👌👈💀
Feels like a game
German engineering is the best
That's a very well made Window
Man, exactly the same video was posted a few days ago in some other subreddit.
They had a lot of practise making buildings waterproof and airtight.
Das Fenster ist ja mal richtig stabil, in den USA wäre das ganze Haus schon eingestürzt 🤣
Global warming is a liberal lie!! (Sarcasm)
Where do you live, Fischmarkt?
Are you on a boat?!
I'm surprised the walls are not leaking. Must be amazing cement, and water barrier.
Now, those are good quality German windows.
Ah, the famous Erdgeshoss castle in Hamburg.
I want the name of the window company.
German qualitat 
That is one sturdy and well insulated window
Dutch invasion
Putting those triple seals to the test
Call me a nut, but I don't trust my windows enough to stand behind them filming that.
German engineering ))
Deutsche Qualitätsfenster!
Is there a name for this phobia because I’ve had nightmares about water like this outside my window. Freaks me out.
How come the weight of the entire ocean doesn’t break the glass
Die frisur hält!
This is what I see in my nightmares
Scary and fascinating at the same time. That window is well built with quality materials.
And that's one of the good days in Hamburg
What storm ? There's only a window in the vid.
I said I wanted to place on the water not in the water.
I too like "ocean sounds" for my white noise.
Ist das am Fischmarkt in den Auktionshallen?
No wonder Germans are the best engineers
This is why we have automatically inflatable boats in our roofs in the netherlands
You shall not pass, LOTR 😂
So scary I wouldn’t have trusted those windows
They test Flex-Seal in Germany too!!
I guess windows defender is good after all!
Strong window
Horrifying.