The status of knowledge and education in our society is constantly increasing in
significance. Although it was not initially planned that way, HafenCity is making its own important contribution: a growing number of higher education, science and research institutions are being established in this new city district on the Elbe. A com-munity of academics and students from such varied disciplines as architecture, metropolitan research, sociology, logis-tics, management and engineering sci-ence is being formed – in a place that is still taking shape, but whose ability to attract widely different groups of users is already impressive.
The west of HafenCity is well established as a place of daily urban encounter between some 1,500 residents, 7,200 employees of about 270 local companies and, in the meantime, many visitors. The spectrum of users active in HafenCity will be even wider in future: the first private research institu-tions are coming into existence, such as the General Electric (GE) research and devel-opment center for offshore wind energy facilities in Am Sandtorpark neighbor-hood. Not far away, occupants of a build-ing ensemble on the waterside promenade of Elbtorquartier neighborhood, including the headquarters of Greenpeace Germany and the Design Center, should be in situ at the end of 2013. Here new intellectual bridges between ecology and consumer culture could be created. And construc-tion of HafenCity University (HCU) has also been under way since December 2010. Its 1,600 students will find themselves in
good company in an inspiring knowledge environment. Since the end of September 2010, two state-approved private universi-ties have been opened: Kühne University of Logistics (KLU) and the International School of Management (ISM) offer their students both attractive conditions for learning and living, and proximity to potential employ-ers. From the end of 2013, KLU will be mov-ing into a building next door to HCU.
HafenCity itself is also the object of research. Future urban planners, sociolo-gists and economists will soon be able to research at the heart of the “live” develop-ment of an inner city. For HCU has been engaged in numerous projects here – also in cooperation with HafenCity Hamburg GmbH – and has already developed an intense relationship with its future sur-roundings. In addition to studies on the creative economy or metropolitan neigh-borhoods, for instance, students have also undertaken an urban development analy-sis lasting several semesters and drafted new user scenarios for Oberhafen neigh-borhood. Based on its existing inventory of buildings and its central location in Ham-burg, this new quarter in the east is des-tined to become a permanent location for creative and cultural uses. An international symposium at the end of March 2011 is to deliver the first pointers for the neighbor-hood’s future development.
Intensive interaction is already taking place between the knowledge commu-nities on the one hand and the growing HafenCity district on the other, which lends HafenCity a new and significant
WWW.HAFENCITY.COM
Editorial
dimension of quality. Here is a place in which knowledge has the ability to attain a specifically public character if, as seems likely, it becomes a part of public dialog.
Aside from the knowledge aspect, Hafen-City is also making great strides in growth: Am Sandtorpark/Grasbrook and Brooktor-kai/Ericus neighborhoods will be finished in 2011, as well as the northern section of Überseequartier, apart from the conver-sion of the old harbor master’s office. At that stage the completed area of HafenCity will extend 1.1 kilometers from Ericusspitze to the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall (apart from some building site logistics), parallel to the Speicherstadt. Experts and visitors will already be able to recognize a new urbanity in HafenCity in 2011 in its differen-tiated form. Thus the liveliness of its every-day life is becoming HafenCity’s overriding characteristic, instead of a preponderance of building sites.
Sincerely, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
KEY DATA ON HAFENCITY
- Total area: 157 hectares - Land: 126 hectares - more than 2.32 million m2 gross floor area - 5,800 homes for 12,000 people - Business premises with capacity for more than 45,000 jobs - Expansion of Hamburg’s city center by 40% - Currently 80 projects planned, under construction or already completed - Distance to Town Hall: 800 meters - Distance to Main Railway Station: 1,100 meters - Transport infrastructure: efficient road network with connections to city center and freeway; under construction: new U4 subway line with two stops (to be completed at the end of 2012) - 10.5 kilometers of quayside promenades
- Public space at the water’s edge: Magellan Terraces (completed June 2005): 5,600 m2 Marco Polo Terraces (completed September 2007): 7,800 m2
Vasco da Gama Plaza (completed September 2007): 2,700 m2 - Cultural facilities: Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall (to be completed 2013) International Maritime Museum (opened summer 2008) Science Center with Science Theater (planned) - Educational facilities: primary school with daycare facility for children and gym (operating since summer 2009) Second primary school and secondary school (planned) HCU HafenCity University (to be completed 2013) Kühne Logistics University (operating since 2010) International School of Management (operating since winter semester 2010)
The information contained in this brochure is destined for the general public; there is no claim to the completeness and accuracy of statements. It must not be used for the risk evaluation of investment or other business decisions relating to the HafenCity project or to parts thereof.
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This publication is printed on environment friendly FSC-certified paper.
binnenalster town hall speicherstadthistoric warehouse district
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Photo: FotofrizzModel: Michael Korol, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
A new part of town is growing: HafenCity – currently Europe’s largest inner-city development project – is a blueprint for European city-center development at the water’s edge
The HafenCity Project
Hamburg is setting new standards in developing a whole new city – at least
in Europe. On an area of 157 hectares, a lively new urban space is taking shape to accommodate a mix of office and residen-tial uses, retail, restaurants and bars, as well as cultural and leisure facilities. What sets it apart from similar urban develop-ment projects is the area’s central urban location and the expectations of quality reflected, for instance, in its fine-grained mix of uses, its lively atmosphere and innovative development process. Also out-standing are the high quality of its archi-tecture and open space design.
The intensive reciprocal interaction between land and water can be regarded as unique, for HafenCity will not be sur-rounded by dikes, nor cut off from the water. With the exception of the quays and promenades, the road area will be raised to 7.5 to 8.3 meters above sea level. This creates a new, characteristic topogra-phy for an area once dominated by port and industrial uses, retaining access to the water and its typical port atmosphere.
OBJECTIVES
Within about 25 years HafenCity will have expanded today’s city center area by 40 percent. The effects of its creation will have an impact both on the whole Hanseatic City of Hamburg and its nearly 1.8 million inhabitants and the 4.3 milli-on residents of the Hamburg Metropoli- tan Region. The HafenCity development strengthens Hamburg’s hand in compe-
tition with other major European cities. The task is a comprehensive one: to
define a new city sector in both planning and architectural terms. More than 2.32 million m2 of gross floor area (GFA) will be new-built, providing 5,800 homes for 12,000 residents, business premises offe-ring in excess of 45,000 job opportuni-ties, plus retail and leisure facilities, restaurants and bars, cultural amenities, parks, plazas and promenades.
Thus a completely new and futuristic addition to the city with its own stylistic vocabulary is gradually emerging. Reinter-pretation of the place is oriented toward the established structures; its milieu informed by the old Speicherstadt ware-houses and historic port structures as well as a few of the existing buildings. Hafen-City perpetuates Hamburg’s identity as a maritime city; at the same time, it is the epitome of European city development in the 21st century. Its innovative planning and implementation methods combine incentives for private investors with the city’s expectations of quality.
STATUS OF DEVELOPMENT
HafenCity is being developed from west to east and from north to south. The area currently under construction or com-pleted extends 1.1 km in length. Almost 1 million m2 GFA have either been com-pleted, or construction is under way or soon to begin. Dating from 2010, the basis for the upcoming development of eastern HafenCity is an amplified and reworked
The open spaces of the new city district are both urban and maritime, for example around Überseequartier, Am Sandtorpark,
or the neighborhood completed in 2009, Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai
04 05
Am Sandtorkai / Dalmannkai
Strandkai
Überseequartier
Brooktorkai / Ericus
ElbtorquartierAm Sandtorpark / Grasbrook
Am Lohsepark Oberhafen
BaakenhafenElbbrücken
dences, will probably be completed and opened in 2013.
So it is clear that HafenCity has long since left the project planning stage for the phase of intensive results – what’s more, with the reworking of the Masterplan for the eastern neighborhoods, HafenCity has been finally thought through to its eastern point at the Elbbrücken bridges. While the western neighborhoods have already become a lively, urban environment, devel-opment of Baakenhafen, Oberhafen and Elbbrücken neighborhoods will get under way successively (see pp. 32-37).
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
For Hamburg, HafenCity is not merely a major real estate project in which indivi-dual projects must be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible – urban quality is supposed to emerge. This is why HafenCity Hamburg GmbH pulls the strings, overseeing all activities as the city’s manager of development, property owner and developer of infrastructure (except the subway).
version of the original Masterplan deci-ded by Hamburg Senate in 2000.
In spring 2011, roughly 1,500 people are living in the new neighborhoods and about 7,200 people work here; the number of visitors streaming into the district rises daily. In 2009, the urban ensemble Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai (apart from the Elbphilharmonie) was the first neighborhood to be completed. In the meantime, social networks have emerged; ground-floor cafés, restau-rants, bars and shops have opened. Resi-dents, local workers and visitors also enjoy the variety of open spaces.
Next door, the second large neighbor-hood, Am Sandtorpark/Grasbrook, has been all but completed since the begin-ning of 2011. All that is missing is a resi-dential building right in the south, which cannot be built until the U4 subway construction site has been cleared. A pri-mary school with nursery and kindergar-ten offering all-day supervision opened in 2009; many families have settled in its proximity. The impressive Hamburg Amer-ica Center and International Coffee Plaza
office buildings are occupied and a variety of shops are open.
HafenCity’s biggest office user is Ger-manischer Lloyd which moved in its 1,600 staff in spring 2010, when it took possession of the new head office in Brooktorkai/Ericus. In summer 2011 they will have a neighbor, when the Spiegel publishing group takes over its new head office building.
The first building ensemble on Strandkai, consisting of Unilever’s headquarters and the Marco Polo residential tower, has alrea-dy reaped many architectural awards. The neighborhood’s Elbe Terraces and prom-enade are the first open spaces directly bordering the River Elbe. Tenders have been invited for additional residential build- ings to be built on the point of Strandkai.
The development of Elbtorquartier neighborhood is also under way. The Inter-national Maritime Museum Hamburg in historic Kaispeicher B opened its doors in 2008 and realization of the new HafenCity University (HCU) building also got under way in December 2010. Construction of the Elbe Arcades – a striking meandering
building consisting of the new Greenpeace headquarters, the designport hamburg, as well as a residential block – began in spring 2011. Other innovative projects in the pipe-line, and under construction in some cases, include the ecumenical forum, the musi-cians’ house and the integrative Stadt-haushotel. The impressive metropolitan character of Überseequartier, covering 7.9 hectares at the heart of HafenCity, is alrea-dy visible. The first apartments in the north-ern section were occupied in fall 2010; since then numerous shops and services have opened along the boulevard and Osakaallee. North Überseequartier should be ready at the end of 2011. Work on the southern part begins in 2011. The shell of Überseequartier subway station had to be completed first. The major part of Übersee-quartier will be developed by 2013/14.
Meanwhile, the Elbphilharmonie Con-cert Hall, conceptualized by architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, grows continu-ally skywards on top of historic Kaispei-cher A. Hamburg’s new cultural beacon, with its two concert auditoriums, five-star hotel and approximately 45 resi-
Zoning plan and building permit pro-cesses are pooled in a special task force in the Ministry of Urban Development and Environment. Since October 1, 2006, HafenCity has had so-called priority area status: because of their importance, all zoning plans are discussed by the Commis-sion for Urban Development representing all political parties in Hamburg’s City Par-liament and set up for this purpose.
However, the aim is also to set inter-national standards for conceptual and architectural quality. It is important, therefore, not only to attract powerful and financially strong investors, but also to find developers willing to cooperate in setting quality standards and in treading innovative paths.
Tenders are invited for properties sched-uled for residential use; the competition then decides. In most cases, however, this does not necessarily mean that the high-est bidder is successful – the offer price is usually fixed before the start of the ten-der process. Rather, the crucial factor for awarding the contract is the quality of the use concepts submitted – and the declared objective of creating a fine-grained mix of uses. This should not only address the dif-fering interests of end-users; it is intended primarily to lay the foundations for a ver-satile city – a city that, thanks to its diver-sity, will be able to adjust to potential changing requirements in future.
Sites for office buildings are not, on the whole, processed this way. Instead, com-panies planning to use 50 to 70 percent of the building or site for their own purposes have to apply to HafenCity Hamburg GmbH. After assessment by the Hamburg Business Development Corporation (HWF) a suitable site can be negotiated.
Whatever the type of land use, one thing always applies – an application from HafenCity Hamburg GmbH has to be rati-fied by the Land Division Commission,
responsible for the sale of city land (instead of Hamburg’s City Parliament). After its decision, the exclusive option period follows. The investor/user is gran-ted exclusivity for a planning period. It needs to proceed with an architectural competition, carry out site surveys, determine additional site costs and pre-pare for building approval. Throughout this process, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, the authorities and the buyer remain in constant dialog. The specific conditions valid for a particular piece of land and the requirements of the building concept are also reflected in the negotiations for a sales contract between the developer and HafenCity.
The advantage for the developer is that financing of the purchase price is delayed until after the process is concluded; until then it has adequate time to hone the quality of its product, secure finance and perhaps acquire additional users. At the same time the city retains its ability to intervene during the development pro-cess, thus ensuring that the originally sub-mitted use concepts and time schedules will be adhered to, or to ensure the building’s quality by means of architectu-ral competitions and building permits.
Exclusive option period regulations are a safety net and process tool for Hamburg and HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, ensuring the best quality of architecture, end use and time scales. If a developer fails in its obligations, the piece of land can be easily repossessed. Cooperation is encouraged and free rider strategies are avoided. As a result, all players benefit from the exclu-sive option period procedure: both the city and the developers minimize their risk, costs and delays – and maintain quality.
HafenCity already boasts many places which are pleasant for spending time in. The former port and industrial area gets its unique character from the
strong interaction between its land and water surfaces
Overview of HafenCity’s ten very
different neighborhoods06 07HAFENCITY PROJECTS
HAFENCITY PROJECTS08 09
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
The urban ensemble at Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai was the first HafenCity quarter to be completed – in spring 2009. Much of its charm stems from the mingling of everyday neighborhood life with a completely new form of urban living on the waterfront. Residential, work and leisure uses are closely enmeshed
Fine-grained and Alive: HafenCity’s First Neighborhood
No city-center neighborhood in Ham-burg has ever been built as quickly:
work on Sandtorkai only began in spring 2003, and the final buildings in Dal-mannkai were completed by spring 2009. Within the space of six years, therefore, all the buildings, as well as urban spaces of a kind unparalleled anywhere in Ham-burg so far, were realized. For the first time, all the important development principles behind HafenCity were brought into play in a larger urban ensemble.
Sandtorhafen is the neighborhood’s core, its harbor basin lined with the pon-toons of the Traditional Ship Harbor. One of the functions of this floating setting, operated by the Hamburg Maritim trust, is to provide moorings for 20 to 30 sea-worthy vessels. To the north, Sandtorkai
AM SANDTORKAI / DALMANNKAI
URBAN SPACES WITHIN A NEW TOPOGRAPHY
As is the case throughout HafenCity, the urban spaces of Am Sandtorkai/Dal-mannkai quarter form a completely new emergent urban topography: all the buildings and the roads are built on artifi-cially raised, flood-protected bases, around 8 meters above sea level. This meant that erecting a new dike around the district, outside the main line of Ham-burg dikes, was unnecessary; the area’s manifold waterside qualities could be maintained and excitingly exploited.
The embankment promenades, howev-er, remain at 4 to 5.5 meters above sea level. Because of their closeness to the water, they are very popular routes for a
stroll, and for cyclists. The new topogra-phy maximizes the neighborhood’s public character: its urban spaces can be experi-enced at two levels – street level and the water’s edge. The difference in heights is particularly noticeable in the north of Sandtorkai, in other words at its interface with the Speicherstadt, which remains at its historic height level.
On the Magellan and Marco Polo Ter-races, the largest squares in the locality and in the whole of HafenCity, the new topography has inspired creative inter-pretation.
The terraces drop in a series of steps from the level of the flood-protected elevation to promenade level. Because of its similar-ity to an amphitheater, the 5,600 m2 urban
The Traditional Ship Harbor at Sandtorhafen
harbor is the centerpiece of the Am Sandtorkai/
Dalmannkai ensemble. At the tip of this headland,
the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall is under
construction. A pleasure craft marina will occupy
the still unconverted basin of Grasbrookhafen to
the south. A new pier here (not yet visible) starts
operating in 2011
The floating plaza of the Traditional Ship Harbor brings life back to the historic Sandtorhafen harbor basin.
The Dalmannkai promenade which runs alongside Grasbrookhafen is inviting for a walk
landscape of the Magellan Terraces is often the backdrop for larger outdoor events. For their part, the 7,800 m2 Marco Polo Terraces appear softer and greener. Grass islands and wooden decking invite passersby to take a break; the trees spread shade. The smaller Vasco da Gama plaza, the third square, completes the ensemble; this neighborhood square even boasts a basketball court.
The Traditional Ship Harbor pontoons provide a third level of urban perception which rises and falls with the tide. Since the water level of the River Elbe varies twice daily by more than 3 meters, depending on the ebb and flow of the tide, perception of the quarter is con-stantly changing. The relationship here between water level, quay walls and edg-es, pontoons, watercraft and buildings is continuously shifting.
Almost all other plazas and promenades in this neighborhood – and the whole western end of HafenCity – were planned by EMBT of Barcelona. Associations were created, for instance, through the repeat-ed use of lighting sources, materials and uniform landscaping of the walls of build-ing plinths. The basements and prome-nade on Sandtorkai, however, were designed by BHF Landschaftsarchitekten, which won the “best projects of 1989-
2008” award from the “Architecture in Hamburg” yearbook in 2008.
Yet another public level – the fourth – is emerging, independent of overall open space planning, in the shape of the Elb-philharmonie Concert Hall on Dalmannkai point: at a height of 37 meters its plaza, accessible to the public, has the most spectacular views over the surroundings and the city.
MINGLING OF URBAN LIVING AND NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE
The dense mix of different uses in the neighborhood is representative of the whole district – as well as its urban topog-raphy. It sets the scene for the realization of very diverse lifestyles: people from dif-ferent social and cultural backgrounds live and work here as immediate neigh-bors, getting involved in their new sur-roundings together and building endless networks.
The cityscape itself reflects the variety of the quarter: on Dalmannkai alone, 15 building ensembles were realized by 27 developers and 26 firms of architects. While staying true to urban planning requirements such as height restrictions, each building was created with its own signature.
The users and use concepts in the urban ensemble are already as disparate as its architecture. The population structure, for example, reveals enormous variety. Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai quarter is home to 1,500 people, with young work-ing singles and families living side by side with “empty nesters” (couples whose children have left home) and seniors. This socially differentiated structure is also the result of a selective tendering and award procedure: sites for housing were not sold to the highest bidder.
stands out between the listed Speicher-stadt and Sandtorhafen harbor, its build-ings protruding over the water so that the promenade can run beneath. South of the historic ships, Dalmannkai promontory extends between Sandtorhafen and Grasbrookhafen harbors.
Open public urban structures abound throughout the quarter. Instead of form-ing a solid barrier, the eight apartment and office blocks on Sandtorkai and the 15 building ensembles on Dalmannkai allow glimpses through to the city center, as well as in the other direction, to the River Elbe. The many plazas and promenades in the neighborhood function as unifying planning elements.
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HAFENCITY PROJECTS
AM SANDTORKAI / DALMANNKAI
An evening walk on the pontoons in the Traditional Ship Harbor is an inviting prospect.
Residents and visitors enjoy the typical port atmosphere
Metropolitan with a maritime air: from the
Magellan Terraces the gaze takes in historic
sailing ships and modern architecture
Instead, potential developers were invited to present a concept for uses of buildings; it was the quality of this con-cept that then determined the sale at pre-agreed fixed prices.
This is why each of the projects on Dal-mannkai has a unique character, while together they form a lively and multi-faceted neighborhood. The result is an urban ensemble in which a wide spec-trum of projects have been realized: both rentals and condominiums are available; many apartments are financially within reach of mid-income-earners, while some are in the luxury segment. Reasonably priced living accommodation was real-ized through building cooperatives and three joint building ventures. Overall, such differentiated housing typologies can meet the needs of a range of differ-ent budgets.
As well as the residents, the employees of its almost 270 businesses also influ-ence the quarter’s atmosphere. Most of the local businesses offer creative and modern services and – while construc-tion in HafenCity continues – building services. Also strongly represented here are media and logistics businesses, fol-lowed by commerce, financial services, IT services and management consultants. Most of the companies employ up to 50 people.
HafenCity’s first completed neighbor-hood is a place where residents, office workers and visitors – from Hamburg, the rest of Germany or all over the world – continually come into social contact with each other. Apart from urban open spac-es, places where they run into each other include the ground-floor levels of most buildings on Dalmannkai. All of this
Vasco da Gama Square, on the elevated Dalmannkai embankment, is a neighborhood square with a basketball court.
An open-air stairway links it to the lower-level Dalmannkai promenade and immediate contact with the waterfront
Holiday atmosphere on Dalmannkai promenade: many eating places have
outside terraces looking over Grasbrookhafen harbor. With its views of the port,
the promenade is a reminder of faraway places
level, with five-meter-high ceilings, was planned for use by services, shops and eateries. Meanwhile a lively community of shops, bistros, cafés, restaurants, gal-leries and bars has evolved in 6,000 m2 of floor space.
Some concepts have picked up on the special characteristics of this former port area and transformed them into business ideas. Take Meßmer Momentum, for example, which is devoted to the world of tea, housing a tea lounge and shop, as well as a museum of tea.
Important impetus for the quarter is
still expected to come from the Elbphil-harmonie Concert Hall. Its successful integration into the surroundings can already be regarded as achieved: the con-cert hall will probably be completed in 2013 and is the only building on Dal-mannkai still under construction. Build-ings of such outstanding importance elsewhere are often built in isolated areas, separated from city centers. Ham-burg’s new landmark, however, is being integrated into a densely built urban ensemble; nevertheless its position, on a point jutting out into the River Elbe, is extremely prominent – as befits its spe-cial significance.
The principle of dense mix of uses natu-rally also presents various challenges. Liv-ing as they do in the midst of a new urban lifestyle concept, residents needed pro-tected local spaces to be made available. The solutions found are as innovative as they are exemplary. Thus the building
ensembles on southern Dalmannkai are grouped around internal courtyards. The courtyards open up toward the south – toward Grasbrook harbor and the River Elbe – thus allowing unobstructed views over the water. At the same time, resi-dents enjoy sheltered private spaces, since the difference in height from the lower-lying promenade means they are largely shielded from view. Other private spaces, for instance, were created in the form of roof terraces – the new neighbor-hood allows the private and public to exist side by side.
The facilities of the Katharinenschule school in the next-door quarter, Am Sandtorpark, are in great demand from clubs and initiatives from all over Hafen-City. A strong social infrastructure has developed here: under the same roof as the primary school, day-care and after-school supervision have moved in. Many residents are already involved in develop-
ing neighborhood or social structures in the newly emerging district. For example, they have set up a sports and an art club, created a play house on the nearby Treasure Island playground and taken over running it, organized neighborhood meeting places and flea markets, as well as putting together various local media. In November 2009, the association Netz-werk HafenCity e.V. was constituted, pooling a great deal of local social poten-tial. As well as many residents, its found-ing members also include local initiatives, institutions and businesses (see p.42 f.). So it is clear that the coexistence of urban lifestyle and neighborhood here is no contradiction – instead it is a definite sign of quality. Since spring 2011, the neighbor-hood is also accessible by water via a new HADAG jetty at the Elbphilharmonie.
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venture, in particular, gives priority to family homes: among the 130 residents of the four buildings are 40 children. They were able to influence planning with their individual requirements from an early stage. Every household has a share of garden in the green inner courtyard.
The neighborhood is very international. North of Sandtorpark, the Hamburg-America-Center offers 8,700 m2 gross floor area (GFA) of office space. The Amerikazentrum Hamburg e.V. society is already offering a program of cultural events in this building designed by Rich-ard Meier (developer DS Bauconcept) .
The Coffee Plaza next door, an ensem-ble of three buildings, was also conceived
by Pritzker prizewinner Meier. It was developed by the Neumann family and a joint venture between DS-Bauconcept and the Neumann group which has been resident since the beginning of 2010 in the 13-story Elipse tower – the neighbor-hood’s architectonic landmark that is vis-ible from afar. In future the building ensemble’s 16,900 m2 GFA will be shared with additional businesses. Even the 1,200 m2 of ground floor space reserved for retail, eating and drinking will con-tinue the coffee theme; the first shop here opened in December 2010.
Two further office buildings offer space for growing companies: SKAI, with its 16,000 m2 GFA, was designed by the Hamburg firm of Böge Lindner architects. Many areas in the new building (devel-oper: DWI Grundbesitz) have already been let. In spring 2010, ElitePartner moved in and the Espression by Lavazza coffee bar opened on the ground floor, along with an international pharmacy.
Since October E-Collection has also been presenting the newest alternative energy programs, ranging from mini wind tur-bines to an e-bike that can be tested out-side by riding around Sandtorpark.
Smaller and medium-size businesses have been taking up space since the end of 2010 in the Centurion business house (14,600 m2 GFA) southwest of Sandtor-park. This building, which has been awarded the preliminary HafenCity Eco-label in gold, is being used by project
manager DC Commercial itself, like co-investor Wölbern Invest and two other companies in the Dahler & Company group. The remaining space can be indi-vidually leased in smaller units of 200 to 400 m2. A brewery with a beer garden will move in next to Sandtorpark. Since the spring, the ground floors have been occu-pied by retail concepts concentrating on supplying local needs. The thermal ener-gy research and development depart-ment of a large international company has also taken up residence.
Since the beginning of 2011 therefore all projects in this neighborhood have been completed. The construction of the last building – a residential building to the north of Grasbrookpark – has to wait until 2012 because only then will the construc-tion site for the new U4 subway be cleared away. The site, which was put out to ten-der in fall 2010, offers space for innova-tive living concepts in some 130 units.
Sandtorpark grew much faster than expected: The relocation of NKG Kala Ham-burg (formerly Kaffee-Lagerei N.H.L. Hinsch & Cons.) freed up centrally located sites for development back in 2006 – some 15 years ahead of the Masterplan’s schedule.
To be exact, development of the neigh-borhood really began in 2003, when SAP moved into its new offices and training center. In 2006 the HafenCity pioneer was followed by logistics group Kühne + Nagel, with its German head office and interna-tional IT headquarters.
Nearly everything on Coffee Plaza has something
to do with the world of coffee
On the roof of Katharinen primary school colorful
railings conceal an attractively landscaped schoolyard
AM SANDTORPARK / GRASBROOK
With a green park at its heart, the new Am Sandtorpark/Grasbrook neighborhood offers ideal conditions for residents, pupils at its new primary school – and growing companies
Green and Metropolitan at the Same Time
Now approaching completion, Am Sandtorpark/Grasbrook is the second
large neighborhood to be ready. The typi-cal HafenCity principle of mixed uses is deployed particularly systematically between Sandtorhafen harbor in the west and Überseequartier in the east. Due to the presence of the primary school and the families living around the park, the neighborhood is already busy with community life; recently many shops and companies have joined them.
Sandtorpark is the key urban element around which almost all the buildings cluster. This green space, laid out with mounds and a grassy play area from April 2011, blends the maritime atmosphere of a port with metropolitan sophistication. The materials and surface coverings used for the open spaces bordering it are the same as those on the Magellan Terraces: a successful unifying urban planning
device instigated by architects EMBT of Barcelona, responsible for public open space planning in western HafenCity, to draw together a multiplicity of urban uses.
Classes at HafenCity’s Katharinenschule school started in summer 2009. The pri-mary school has since developed into a real social hub with a specific neighborly closeness: its eventual triple parallel classes guarantee all-day supervision, including a day-care center for the small-est and after-school activities. A total of 450 children can be cared for. The sports hall, which is part of the building, is inten-
sively used after school as well, e.g. by Störtebeker sports club or sports groups from local companies, such as Pantaenius and NYK Line. The building, designed by architects Spengler & Wiescholek, also houses 30 apartments and was realized by builder Otto Wulff Bauunternehmung GmbH in a public-private partnership.
Right next to Katharinenschule school, the new occupants of the Hofquartier construction project (68 homes built by DS-Bauconcept/Wernst) and Hafenliebe (55 homes realized by Stadt Land Fluss) have been moving in since the end of 2010. The Hafenliebe joint building
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Residential and commercial buildings are grouped around the eponymous park, whose design continues the landscaping concept for the
Magellan Terraces to the southwest. To the south the neighborhood borders Grasbrookpark, where construction can begin in 2012
The gentle undulations of Sandtorpark provide space
for relaxation between trees and grassy areas…
…and the SKAI building adjacent to the green
space accommodates offices and shops
Sandtorpark is the green soul of the
quarter. Buildings are grouped around
it, including architect Richard Meier’s
landmark Coffee Plaza
14 15
Most buildings in Brooktorkai have clinker-brick façades, making a clear reference to the historic Speicherstadt, which lends
the whole neighborhood atmosphere. Buildings of a different height set their own self-confident accents
tion eastwards, spacious steps at Ericus- spitze will be an invitation to strolling passersby to change levels: steps for sit-ting or walking on will rise to a plaza with views over the Ericus canal and Oberhafen harbor basin.
Here at the northeastern entrance to HafenCity, Robert Vogel GmbH & Co. KG and the ABG group of companies are build-ing a new publishing house for the Spiegel group as well as the Ericus Contor office building. This summer the publisher will be amalgamating its Hamburg editorial offices here (including those of Der Spie-gel, Spiegel TV, Spiegel Online and Man-ager Magazin) in about 30,000 m2 GFA.
With its optimal location vis-à-vis the
existing city center, Brooktorkai’s
meandering structure extends over four
building plots. Ericus Contor and the
Spiegel publishing house on Ericusspitze
are directly connected
Henning Larsen architects (Copenhagen) designed both the publishing house and Ericus Contor (20,000 m2 GFA) with their light-colored façades and vast shared plinth. The concept closely associates the buildings with the nearby Speicherstadt and Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall, under-lying the outstanding significance of the location.
The Spiegel Group’s new building has a preliminary gold HafenCity Ecolabel. This is achieved, for example, through an extremely low overall primary energy demand of less than 100 kWh per square meter per year predicated on geothermal and photovoltaic systems. In addition, the building’s extremely public character is convincing, with an attractive brick-paved boulevard, in use from 2012, running between the two staggered structures. Only one building in this neighborhood contains residences because of future busy traffic on Brooktorkai to the north, and because the whole area is very narrow.
the newly laid out Shanghaiallee road link, connecting the two banks of Brooktorhafen harbor at an elevation safe from high water. As wide as it is long, the bridge offers gen-erous space for pedestrians and cyclists; the supporting structure of the bridge is com-pletely hidden beneath the road surface.
The Hamburg association of architects and engineers chose Shanghaibrücke as one of three Hamburg Buildings of the Year in 2006.
Since the beginning of 2011 an additional pedestrian bridge has connected the new Brooktorhafen harborside promenade with the new St. Annen square, which will be completed in May 2011, linking it to Übersee-quartier. The landscaping of large open spa-ces on Brooktorkai and at Ericusspitze is being carried out by WES & Partner Land-schaftsarchitekten (Hamburg). A 30-meter stone sofa on Brooktorkai promenade looks out over the harbor basin. In the continua-
building in Elbtorquartier is ready in 2013).The outstanding feature of Brooktorkai
is the meandering structure of its architec-ture, visually broken up and enhanced by three nine-floor tower blocks. The red-brick facework of the building ensemble echoes the color of the nearby Speicher-stadt. Standing out against it, the three tower blocks with their natural stone, green cast glass or perforated copper pan-els offer expansive views over the Speich-erstadt and Brooktorhafen. The gmp partnership, Gerkan, Marg und Partner (Hamburg), won the urban design compe-tition for Brooktorkai (excluding Ericus-spitze). Also successful in architectural competitions alongside gmp were Jan Störmer architects (Hamburg) and Anto-nio Citterio and Partners (Milan).
Outside, the Brooktorkai open space is enhanced by Shanghaibrücke bridge, designed by Dietmar Feichtinger. It carries
Brooktorkai/Ericus neighborhood holds a double trump: its location on the city waterfront and the Speicherstadt next door – and all just a few minutes’ walk from Hamburg’s Central Station. Germanischer Lloyd and the Spiegel group are two of the big-league companies headquartered here
A Corporate Location Right Next to Speicherstadt
BROOKTORKAI / ERICUS
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
The Brooktorkai/Ericus neighborhood has a specifically maritime character: it
is fringed by the historic brick buildings of the Speicherstadt, by Brooktorhafen, and the water passage linking Holländisch-brookfleet canal.
The western part of Brooktorkai, com-prising a total 54,000 m2 gross floor area (GFA), was developed by Germanischer Lloyd AG and Quantum Immobilien AG.
The move of 1,600 employees of Ger-manischer Lloyd in March 2010 was the biggest removal into HafenCity so far. One of the three towers in the ensemble offers 30 apartments with views of Lohsepark: the first tenants take up residence this year. Right next door, the International School of Management has been prepar-ing students for future careers in inter-national business since the winter semes-ter 2010/2011 began, together with the Kühne Logistics University (until its own
The Ericusspitze ensemble of buildings,
central entrance to HafenCity, is taking
shape. A plaza and substantial additional
open spaces will be laid out between the
two buildings
16 17
59
58
575655
Great Location: Residential and Office Space on the WaterfrontStrandkai is surrounded by water and parks and offers spectacular views and incredible locations for homes and modern service industries. The first buildings to be completed, the Unilever headquarters and the Marco Polo Tower, have received many accolades
The Marco Polo Tower and the new Unilever building (background) form a spectacular –
and multiple award-winning – building ensemble
1,200 employees now occupy 25,000 m2 GFA. The building’s ecological sustainabili-ty is impressive. It not only prequalified for the HafenCity Ecolabel in gold, but won the BEX award for particularly sustainable, innovative and efficient architecture in July 2009. In November 2009, at the World Architecture Awards in Barcelona, it was designated as World’s Best Office Buil-ding. Recently the German architectural association (BDA) Hamburg awarded the Unilever building the first prize for archi-tecture of the construction years 2008-2010. At the same prize-giving it won the readers’ prize from the Welt/Welt am Sonntag newspapers.
The Marco Polo Tower (58), most of whose 58 apartments are already occupied, has also won several awards. In 2010, the residential tower won the real estate “Oscar”, the MIPIM award, in the residential develop-ments category. The previous year it was named best building in the European Prop-erty Award. Behnisch architects (Stuttgart) was responsible for the architecture, having won the relevant competition. The firm designed an organic yet sculptural form, which makes a landmark of the whole ensemble – the 55-meter high tower, with its staggered stories, is visible from far away.
The interior of the Unilever office buil-ding is an atrium, flooded with natural light. It branches out like a tree through all seven floors of the building. At ground floor level, a mall passageway accessible to the public runs through, connecting the Marco Polo Terraces to the newly land-scaped waterfront promenade on the banks of the River Elbe. The mall includes an ice cream parlor, a shop and a wellness spa. The Elbterrassen form the entrée to the riverfront. It will even be possible to bathe in summer 2011 close to the gene-rously built outdoor flight of steps. The Hafenbad swimming tank, an art object made of two former transport containers welded together, will offer Elbe views.
The western section of the promenade will be realized to link up with the high-rise building on the quay point. The three plots there (55-57) are planned for perimeter block building typologies, with two resi-dential towers setting urban accents. A total of 430 units are to be built offering sophisticated dwelling concepts. Ecologi-cal forms of housing (green living) or housing cooperative apartments are both possibilities; the ground floors will be made available to a children’s arts center, among other uses. Since it is important
that a social neighborhood develops, a quarter management organization is to be set up. The site, which has been put out to tender, can be built from 2012/13, with completion expected at the end of 2014.
The eastern end of Strandkai, on the other hand, is still in use for the temporary cruise terminal and for construction works connected with the new U4 subway; it can be built on from 2014/15. The first exclu-sive options for plots are expected to be awarded in 2011.
STRANDKAI
Strandkai quarter is already a conspicuous part of the southern cityscape, visible
from the bridges of the River Elbe. The basic structure of its hybrid perimeter blocks is made up of 6-7 story building ensembles; 15-story, 55-meter-high tower tops and indi-vidual towers will stand alone or be integra-ted into these. These high-rises will provide far-reaching views downstream along the River Elbe, to the south across the port, to the north and west over Grasbrook harbor, HafenCity and the inner city.
The urban design competition was won by Böge Lindner architects (Hamburg). Approximately 200,000 m2 of gross floor area (GFA) will be distributed throughout the ten building plots. The eastern end of the neighborhood, directly opposite the Cruise Center, mainly comprises office space for modern service industries. No homes will be built here because of proxi-mity to the cruise terminal.
But residential units will be built at Gras-brookpark nearby. And the very prominent
locations on the tip of the quay promontory to the west of the new Unilever building are almost exclusively reserved for housing.
The first building on Strandkai, next to the Marco Polo Terraces, is a prize-winning ensemble consisting of an office building
and a residential tower. Both buildings were realized by Hochtief Projektentwick-lung GmbH. The office building (59) has been in use since summer 2009 by consu-mer goods group Unilever with its head-quarters for German-speaking countries;
The urban development plan for Strandkai includes seven 55-meter towers. Most future users
of other buildings planned to the west will have views of the Elbe
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Bridges, ramps and steps provide a big choice of routes through the sculptural atrium of the Unilever headquarters.
The outdoor steps in front of the building have wonderful views of the Elbe, port and growing Elbphilharmonie
Services, residential, restaurants and leisure facilities Dense overall structure, six to
seven stories with seven towers rising as high as 55 meters Total gross floor area of approxi- mately 200,000 m2
Development plan under way Unilever Building and Marco Polo Tower were completed in 2009; more projects will follow from 2012 /2013
GENERALCONDITIONS
18 19
Since fall 2007, construction has been in progress in the north part of the quarter
(right part of white-framed area of photo); most buildings are finished. The area’s
only historic building is the listed former harbor master’s building, Altes Hafenamt.
After completion of the shell of the Überseequartier subway station, development
of the south of the neighborhood, too, can start in 2011
ÜBERSEEQUARTIER
The heart of HafenCity is Überseequartier. Since summer 2010 the first shops in the northern part of Überseequartier have opened and residents have moved into their homes. In 2011 the southern section of the neighborhood will be a huge new building site
Überseequartier – a New City Icon Emerges
Überseequartier is shaping up into the future “city” in HafenCity. This urban
space, covering around 7.9 hectares will be home to around 1,000 people and the workplace of up to 7,000. A daily flow of some 40-50,000 visitors will stroll through on their way to impressive sights such as the Science Center and Cruise Ter-minal, and enjoy the many exciting retail and eatery concepts totaling approx. 66,000 m2 gross floor area (GFA). The mix of uses is particularly sophisticated; real-ization is taking place successively north to south until the whole quarter is virtu-ally completed in 2013/2014.
But HafenCity’s “heart” is already beating strongly. The northern part of Übersee-quartier is largely finished; it is the most densely built space in HafenCity so far. The first pioneers have been moving into the around 340 completed apartments since fall 2010, while retailers and gas-tronomy businesses to provide for every-day needs have been busily fitting out premises along Überseeboulevard. The first bank branches are already operating. In spring a large supermarket and green-grocery will open its doors. Temporary, innovative concepts are occupying spaces in some cases until final users are deter-mined; these include a photography gal-lery and a showroom for hat designer Niko Kazal. Also in spring the 25hours hotel company opens its 170-room Seemannsheim (sailors’ home) concept design hotel on Überseeallee. Across from the hotel, the shell of the Übersee-quartier subway stop for the new U4 line was completed in October 2010.
Spring sees the beginning of construc-tion work on southern Überseequartier. While in the northern part of the neigh-borhood a total 360 apartments (classical and duplex apartments as well as inte-grated townhouses) are ready or under construction, as well as office space and small-scale retail and catering concepts serving everyday needs, in the south,
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
U
U
U
OFFICERETAIL
RESIDENTIALRETAIL
GASTRONOMYMARKET
RESIDENTIALRETAIL
RESIDENTIALRETAIL
RESIDENTIALRETAIL
SILKLIMBA
MERANTI
KAMBALA
PALISANDER
LINNEN
HOTEL & CRUISE CENTER
high-rise buildings are growing skywards offering spacious office units and accom-modating a variety of retail opportuni-ties. No homes will be built here because of proximity to the cruise ship terminal.
In addition to flagship stores, branded boutiques and branches of international labels, so-called “innovative” tenants are moving in: offering a retail format of a type not yet seen in Hamburg or even in Germany. Instead of being located in a closed shopping mall, retailers will be integrated into a total of 16 free-standing buildings, giving visitors the benefit of shopping in an urban atmosphere with the waterfront close by.
The rich variety of open spaces in Über-seequartier complements the enormous mix of uses: sometimes they invite a stroll, sometimes to sit down and relax; sometime they open out into a gener-ously proportioned boulevard, square or terrace, then they also offer sheltered spaces appealing to residents. For the neighborhood’s open space (as well as the two embankments of Magdeburger Hafen and St. Annen square), Beth Galí and her firm BB + GG Arquitectes use overlapping longitudinal and horizon-tally striped flooring of brown, grey and reddish granite. Throughout the area, the architect plays with variable ground levels, using ramps, steps or terraces to link them.
The central point of the urban concept for Überseequartier is Überseeboulevard. The boulevard runs through the whole area like a meandering river, from the Speicherstadt down to the River Elbe. Curving pathways and façades add vari-ety to the 750-meter-long urban space, which opens out into plazas in some plac-es. The northern part of the boulevard was opened with a local opening ceremo-ny in October 2010.
Thus the neighborhood evolves, step by step, presenting itself all of a piece, yet always providing surprising new
WATERFRONT TOWERS
SCIENCE CENTER
RESIDENTIALHOTEL (25HOURS)RETAIL RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIALOFFICE, RETAIL
20 21
34/1 Retail, restaurant, residential/joint venture of Trojan Trojan + Partner and Dietz Joppien
34/2 Retail, restaurant, offices/joint venture of Trojan Trojan + Partner and Dietz Joppien
34/3 Retail, restaurant, residential/joint venture of Trojan Trojan + Partner and Dietz Joppien
34/10 Retail, restaurant, offices/KSP Engel und Zimmermann/Ortner & Ortner
34/11 Retail, restaurant, offices/KSP Engel und Zimmermann/Allies and Morrison
34/12 Science Center with Science Theater/OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture)
34/13 Retail, restaurant, offices
34/14 Cruise terminal, hotel
Further south, Überseeboulevard leads on to the area’s three most important points of attraction – which are architec-tural highlights, too. The convincing design of the Waterfront Towers by EEA architects for the Elbe front of Überseequartier con-sists of two stand-alone towers, which unmistakably mark the southern limit of the urban ensemble, framed by the Science Center (see p. 41) designed by Rem Kool-haas and the Cruise Terminal, where con-struction starts in 2012.
Direct connection to the present city center by public bus will be supplemen-ted from fall 2012 by the new U4 subway line. The journey from Jungfernstieg will take just three minutes. But even pedes-trians only need at most ten minutes to reach Überseequartier on a newly laid out boulevard from Jungfernstieg or the Town Hall via Domplatz and St. Annen square. When the areas of promenade
and plaza beside Magdeburger Hafen harbor basin and next to northern Über-seequartier are opened in mid-June, the “Domplatz axis” will bring the existing city center and the heart of HafenCity within even easier reach. And car-drivers have not been forgotten: under the whole pedestrian-only area of Überseequartier is Germany’s largest parking garage to date with around 3,400 spaces.
Development of central Überseequar-tier began in 2003 with a two-tier tender-ing process which ended with the sale of the site in December 2005 to a Dutch-German consortium (consisting of ING Real Estate, SNS Property Finance and Groß + Partner Grundstücksentwick-lungsgesellschaft mbH). Internationally renowned architects created an overall planning concept for the area on the basis of an urban Masterplan (Trojan Trojan + Partner). Just two years later, in the fall of 2007, construction work began on north-ern Überseequartier. The quarter man-agement company started work during the final phase; it covers a variety of
The Überseeboulevard intersects the neighborhood. The future shopping mile can be
reached in just ten minutes’ walk from City Hall
The striking Arabica residential tower forms the
northern entry to Überseequartier
Each individual architectural design in Überseequartier sets new visual standards. Despite the
variety of the coordinated open spaces, the overall effect is one of harmony
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
ÜBERSEEQUARTIER
perspectives. The individual architecture of the buildings is also impressive. The Sumatra Building, for instance, with its dramatically slanted façade is fascinating from first glance, while the former harbor master’s office (Altes Hafenamt) oppo-site is a unique counterpoint.
The Altes Hafenamt, built in 1885/86 and the last remaining brick-built build-ing in this area, is a gastronomic focus of HafenCity. The interior of the listed build-ing is foreseen for gastronomy, some 15 market stalls outside will be offering their wares – initially, from early summer, on Überseeboulevard, then when renova-tion works on the old building are fin-
34/14
34/15
34/16
34/13
34/12
34/1
34/3
34/4
34/2
34/5
34/734/6
34/834/9
34/10
34/11
ished, from 2012 they will transfer to its surrounding open spaces. The concept of a typical street market, which should take place on three days a week, is still flexible. It could, for example, be a farmer’s mar-ket with regional fruit and vegetables, a fish market or a flower market. Planning of the renovation and the slim residential tower extension (whose 12 apartments will be ready in November 2011) is by Bolles + Wilson architects. They were also responsible for the information pavilion on the same site. Since 2008, the models and multimedia exhibits here have been keeping visitors up to date with progress on development of Überseequartier.
responsibilities on behalf of all tenants and proprietors of individual buildings. This is also in the interests of Übersee-quartier tenants, since it organizes street festivals, looks after the urban environ-ment and takes care of security. Its prime task is to maintain the public character of Überseequartier, including 24-hour access and many opportunities for public participation which would not be the case in a shopping center.
Thus the majority of Überseequartier is the responsibility of one body. In the northern section there are two excep-tions (plots 34/15 and 34/16) which were put out to tender for residential construc-tion in 2010. Quite soon around 230 hous-ing units will take shape here: it would also be desirable for them to include cul-tural uses such as a theater or movie house.
A total of 286,000 m2 of gross floor area (GFA) will be completely deve- loped at Überseequartier by 2012/13 Residential: approx. 47,000 m2 GFA Offices:
Additionally Science Center with Science Theater/further use tbd: approx. 23,000 m2 GFA
MIXOFUSE
22 23
5253 54
5145
4340
41
42
46
47
4949a
44a 44b50
48
Elbtorquartier’s appearance is still characterized by
undeveloped spaces and existing building stock. But
between 2011 and 2014 the future “Knowledge Quarter”
will be HafenCity’s main building site. The new U4
subway is under construction in the southern part
ELBTORQUARTIER
An innovative “Knowledge Quarter” is emerging east of Magdeburger Hafen, featuring HafenCity University, Kühne Logistics University, Greenpeace headquarters, designport hamburg, and other creative users. Because so many of its buildings have such high ecological standards, this neighborhood will also become Hamburg’s first model sustainability neighborhood. It will be one of HafenCity’s primary construction sites until 2014
HafenCity’s New Knowledge Quarter
A lively and multifaceted “Knowledge Quarter” is taking shape between Mag-
deburger Hafen harbor in the west, Brook-torhafen harbor in the north and the Am Lohsepark quarter in the east. It owes its special atmosphere not only to the 1,600 students of the new HafenCity University (HCU), which will open its doors in 2013, but also a multitude of other trend-setting projects in science, sustainability and design.
In its urban conception, Elbtorquartier picks up various typologies. While build-ings up to 70 meters high will be erected in the south, a block structure approxi-mately 170 meters long ties into existing built structure to the east, which is taken up again next to Magdeburger Hafen.
A footpath leads from the Speicherstadt across the Museumsbrücke bridge, and directly into the shopping mall in the listed Kaispeicher B building (40). This structure,
the oldest in HafenCity, dating back to 1879, has created a distinctive northern entrance into the area and since summer 2008 has housed the International Mari-time Museum Hamburg (see p. 40).
Both the museum bridge (architect: Diet-mar Feichtinger; engineers: WTM Engi-neers) and the converted Kaispeicher B (MRLV Marcovic Ronai Voss architects) won Hamburg Architecture of the Year awards in 2007 from the Hamburg associ-ation of architects and engineers. Hafen-City Hamburg GmbH, as the developer of the bridge, also shared the award.
Leading from the museum shopping arcade in Kaispeicher B, a walking route crosses the museum forecourt which was designed by architect Beth Galí. Since December 2010, pedestrians have been able to continue on across the newly reno-vated Busanbrücke bridge, which brings
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
HafenCity University (HCU) will be the dynamic force in Elbtorquartier. From 2013 on, around 1,600 students will be studying
in the new premises. The HCU building, under construction since the end of 2010 on the Baakenhafen embankment with Elbe
views, has already received a preliminary HafenCity Ecolabel in gold
them onto the promenade at Magde-burger Hafen. The historic arched bridge, dating from 1931, is the most important bridging point for cyclists and pedestrians in central HafenCity. It joins the western and central neighborhoods with eastern HafenCity, not to mention HafenCity’s beating heart, Überseequartier, with Kai-speicher B. Like the surrounding prome-nade, the bridge is laid with stripes of natural stone paving, which integrates it visually into the open space ensemble.
South of Busanbrücke bridge, construc-tion began in spring 2011 of the Elbe Arcades, a meandering ensemble of build-ings containing a total 30,000 m2 total gross floor area (GFA) based on a design by Bob Gysin + Partner BGP architects (Zur-ich). By the end of 2013, space will be real-ized for three use components, each
Bounded by Magdeburger
Hafen harbor basin to the west,
Brooktorhafen in the north and
the future Lohsepark to the
east, a busy and ecologically
sustainable neighborhood
is emerging. Old and new
architectural forms create an
exciting dialog here
totalling around 10,000 m2 GFA. The build-ings will be accessible on two levels – both via the promenade at water level and the flood-protected elevation above – with generous space for uses such as cafés, shops and exhibitions. Unique to Hafen-City so far is the so-called city loggia, an arcaded space, ten meters deep and eight high, with extensive water views.
The northern part of the building will house some 125 residential units, including lofts for dwellings and workplaces for peo-ple in the creative branches. The Garbe group (43) has an exclusive option for some 80 apartments, which will mainly be in private ownership for families. The oth-er homes are exclusively planned for design-related uses (44a). Many are being built as “universal design” apartments with a flexible layout, allowing occupants
to change it at any time according to their particular lifestyle.
Public design center designxport will occupy both the basement and ground floor in the central section (44b). It will be accompanied on around 1,500 m2 by exhi-bition and event space, a design library and archive, a shop and catering space . For the first time Hamburg’s design und art community will have a central platform for communication and representation where design can be appropriately pre-sented and experienced.
The German headquarters of environ-mental organization Greenpeace and eco-energy supplier Greenpeace Energy eG (45) are moving into the southern part of the ensemble. The users insist on high-est standards of sustainability for the building, which is to be awarded the gold
The head of the harbor basin is
the location of Kaispeicher B,
housing the International Maritime
Museum Hamburg since 2008. In
spring construction of the Elbe
Arcades began
24 25
The meandering building ensemble on the eastern embankment of Magdeburger Hafen harbor includes the “Stadtloggia” arcade. The promenade in front of it is a pier constructed on existing piles. Eventual users of the building will include Greenpeace Deutschland, the design center designxport and well over 100 apartments. On the roof
of the Greenpeace building wind turbines will produce energy
ELBTORQUARTIER
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Trend-setting projects: Sound-proofed rooms integrated into the apartments are perfect practice
rooms for musicians (left). Stadthaushotel will be Europe’s largest integrative hotel (right)
On the ground floor of the NIDUS joint building venture, a loft-like building houses shops,
ateliers and showrooms which are sure to color Shanghaiallee
HafenCity Ecolabel (see p. 48 ff). Architect Bob Gysin was therefore consulting experts in energy-efficient construction even during the competition phase, he shared his first prize with joint venture 3-Plan Haustechnik AG (Winterthur), and EK Energiekonzepte AG (Zurich).
Elbtorquartier as a “Knowledge Quar-ter” will revolve around the emerging Hafen-City University (HCU) campus next to Baakenhafen. Construction of the new HCU building (54) began in Decem-ber 2010. Designed by architects Code Unique (Dresden), the building’s foyer will open out onto a forecourt, Magde-burger Hafen, and Lohsepark. The lecture halls and seminar rooms have delightful situations by the water and views of the River Elbe. The HCU building, an exem-plary ecological all-round concept, has also been preliminarily certified with the gold HafenCity Ecolabel.
The Kühne Logistics University (KLU), another prestige educational institution, is housed temporarily in Brooktorkai,
Unique in Germany: 18 Christian churches
developed the “Brücke” ecumenical forum.
One of its features is a chapel, a place of
retreat for use by anybody
which is where, in September 2010, class-es for the first degree program, Master of Science in Global Logistics, got under way. In 2013, KLU will move into a building of its own, to be realized by ECE to the west of the HCU site.
Two projects lend the quarter both social and spiritual distinction. Stadt-haushotel (48), under construction from the end of 2011, will be Europe’s largest integrative hotel: 40 of its 60 employees will have disabilities. The three-star hotel will offer about 90 rooms and a restau-rant particularly suitable for guests with limited mobility. The operator of Stadthaushotel is the jugend hilft jugend e.V. association; the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is supporting it with an investment grant. The architectural com-petition was won by Huke-Schubert Berge architects (Hamburg).
In addition, the ecumenical forum Brücke (49a) in Shanghaiallee is sched-uled to open in 2012. A total of 18 Chris-tian churches will support this joint
project that is unique in Germany. The ground floor, accessible to the public, serves as a meeting place, while a chapel offers an oasis of stillness. The Laurentius Convent will also move into the building: members of this ecumenical spiritual community will live here in shared accommodation. The architectural com-petition to design the 4,600 m2 building was won by Wandel, Hoefer, Lorch + Hirsch architects (Saarbrücken).
To the north and south of the ecumenical forum, two new buildings with unusual residential concepts are to be developed. The joint building venture, Bürgerstadt AG, is realizing sound-proof living and working spaces for musicians, sound and film specialists (50). The architects’ office 360grad+ (Hamburg) won the competi-tion to design the musicians’ house, a structure referencing the clinker-brick façade tradition of the Speicherstadt, but
whose expansive window surfaces and loggias set accents of their own. Twenty units will be constructed from May 2011, ranging from duplex apartments to lofts. Work is already under way on the NIDUS joint building venture project (49), provid-ing 30 units whose open-plan layouts can be used for shop/apartments, studios or showrooms. The competition to design the building was won by spine architects (Hamburg).
Elbtorquartier neighborhood has good public transport connections: Messberg subway station can be reached quickly on foot from the north. From fall 2012, the new U4 subway line will provide a direct link to the Hamburg network when Hafen-City University subway station in the south opens. In addition, the public harbor ferry service will probably be serving a pier adjacent to the HafenCity University fore-court from 2013.
26 27
AM LOHSEPARK
Historic industrial buildings from a bygone industrial era and railroad platform remains from the former Hanover Station reflect the neighborhood’s significant role in Hamburg’s history. With Lohsepark, HafenCity’s “Central Park” is growing. The first apartments will be built along its leafy edges from 2012
From Local Industrial Pioneers to Green Urban Heart
Framed by water surfaces to the north and south, an inviting recreation area
is taking shape in central HafenCity. Lohsepark, the largest green space in HafenCity and therefore its “Central Park”, also constitutes the centerpiece of Am Lohsepark neighborhood in conceptual and urban planning terms.
All the new buildings to the west and east connect up to the four-hectare park. The starting point for Am Lohsepark’s development was the listed red-brick ensemble at Lohseplatz. Harburger Gum-mi-Kamm-Compagnie, which once occu-pied it, was part of the vanguard of industrialization in Hamburg. In 1836, entrepreneur Heinrich Christian Meyer founded one of the first steam-driven fac-tories in Hamburg. It produced combs, buckles, buttons and canes. The name Stockmeyerstrasse harks back to the nick-name of the (cane) manufacturer; in 2010 the street will be reconstructed to make it flood-secure.
In the meantime, the historic industrial ensemble has turned into a sensitively renovated architectural gem. It houses the Prototyp private automobile collection.
Many creative and media companies have also felt the pull of the inspiring envi-ronment. In future the historic building ensemble will have three new buildings as neighbors (67–69).
To the south of Lohseplatz, two build-ings, each with some 20,000 m2 of gross floor area (GFA), and featuring spacious inner courtyards, which will house about
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
No traces remain of the buildings on the site of
what was once Hanover railroad station (right); but
old railway structures and an industrial building in
the surrounding area have been conserved
300 residential units offering a range of living concepts. The successful tenderers for the first plot (70) in fall 2010 were two pioneers of HafenCity development, the cooperative housing corporation Bergedo-rf-Bille and construction company Otto Wulff. They are planning mainly rental apartments; by incorporating a propor-tion of private housing, it will be possible to realize very inexpensive subsidized homes for the first time in HafenCity.
An exclusive option on the neighboring site (71) was granted to a consortium of Stattbau Hamburg/Conplan GmbH in conjunction with the non-profit Benno and Inge Behrens trust. The trust builds rental homes and work rooms for people with handicaps. The concept will be rounded off by four joint building ven-tures, student apartments and other pub-licly subsidized rental apartments. The ground floors will be occupied by themat-ically appropriate public amenities such as a child day-care center and doctors’ offic-es in addition to the typical HafenCity mix
of uses of shops and cafés. Construction on both sites will start from 2012 after an architectural competition has been held. A secondary school, which will also serve as a community center, will be installed later to the east of Lohsepark.
Other construction planned is mostly of residential buildings which will run paral-lel to the park, a hotel in Versmannstrasse and office buildings along Stockmeyer-strasse. Basically Lohsepark will be sur-rounded by 6 to 7 story contiguous blocks; a total 200,000 m2 GFA will be built in the neighborhood.
Lohsepark will be HafenCity’s main dis-trict park. It will form a green belt, running from Ericusgraben channel in the north to Baakenhafen neighborhood in the south. The revision of the Masterplan for eastern HafenCity foresees its green expanses actually extending onto the promontory of Baakenhafen, leading on down to the River Elbe. There it will meet a 30-meter wide, partly planted Elbe promenade, so that later, walkers will be able to stroll on
All the buildings of the Am Lohsepark
neighborhood are grouped to the east or west
of the eponymous green park. They include
two blocks of apartments with multifaceted
concepts (above). A concept draft shows how
the memorial for deportees from the former
Hanover railroad stations will look (below)
Aerial photograph of the site today: the area of the future Lohsepark is still being
used by a logistics company and for infrastructure building works
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over a new bridge to the Entenwerder local recreation area.
The assignment for Lohsepark is to cre-ate a district park for the 21st century, which will fulfill the difficult requirement of providing space for the widest possible variety of uses. An international open space landscaping competition was held to find the right design. One particular requirement was simultaneously to pro-duce ideas for an integrated place of remembrance. The area of the future park was once the side of Hanover railroad sta-tion, the city’s most important railroad station up to 1906. During the Second World War it was the point of departure
28 29
AM LOHSEPARK
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
for at least 7,692 people – Jews and Sinti and Roma – who were deported from here to concentration and extermination camps. The station building, which was severely damaged in the war, was dyna-mited in 1955. It certainly presents a chal-lenge to design Lohsepark as both a memorial and a public park. But this is also a big opportunity: for the first time in Hamburg, a place of remembrance of this kind will be located in a central place that is heavily frequented every day.
Finally it was the concept presented by Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten AG (Zurich) that convinced the jury. The conception is of a space for movement “from the edge
to edge of the buildings” and “from water’s edge to water’s edge”. Curving paths will lead through generous sweeps of grass and meadow dotted with numer-ous, trees of which many will be arranged in attractive groups.
A variety of play and rest areas with clin-ker-brick fountains and water features, benches curved to follow the paths, and tables, will invite people to stop a while. For children there will also be a community house with a playground. High ecological standards will be maintained, for instance by using water-permeable surfaces for paths. Labor-intensive flowerbeds and expansive paved areas are not planned. On
the way to Baakenhafen the embankment promenade runs alongside the new Hafen-City University campus. A broad open-air stairway opens out, with seating steps dropping down to the reedy water’s edge.
The long sides of the park are lined with planted terraces, which allow barrier-free transition from the park into the city, as the green area dovetails with the street. The park will be laid out on three levels: 5.4 meters above sea-level (the historic level of the memorial location), 6.5 meters (the actual park level) and 8.5 meters (the height of the surrounding city).
The place of remembrance concept fore-sees a landscape design feature, a seam, slashing diagonally through the park, con-necting the relics of the former railroad station forecourt with what remains of Platform Two. This incision through the cityscape is deliberate; the sight line between the two locations makes it pos-sible to reconstruct the historic path of the deportation trains.
The park is being laid out on three levels. Steps,
terraces and ramps will connect the different levels
with the embankment promenade; this creates a link
between water areas, park spaces and the urban
environment
A total of 580 trees will be planted in decorative groups and as a framework; winding paths will run between them
From water’s edge to water’s edge: the majority of Lohsepark runs like a green ribbon from
Ericusgraben channel in the north down to Baakenhafen harbor in the south. Crossing the
Baakenhafen quarter promontory, it will lead on down to the Elbe riverbank
The site of the former Hanover railroad
station is to be landscaped into a memorial
and park with a documentation center and
permanent exhibition
A documentation center in a new build-ing on the west side of the park will com-plement the memorial site. A temporary exhibition about the deportations, pre-sented in spring 2009 in Kunsthaus Ham-burg, will find a permanent home here. The ongoing planning process for the memorial is being led by Hamburg’s Cul-ture and Media Ministry, together with the Jewish Community in Hamburg, the Rom und Cinti Union, and the Auschwitz Com-mittee.
Most of the areas needed for the devel-opment of Lohsepark are in use by for-warders Spedition Dietrich until 2017, and also partly for subway construction logis-tics until 2012/13. By 2020 at the latest the whole of Lohsepark will be available to visitors. However the first sub-areas can be developed earlier: part of the park is already available and therefore from 2013, HafenCity’s residents, employees and visi-tors will be able to enjoy an attractive place to rest and relax, with areas for play and movement.
Am Lohsepark neighborhood will be con-nected to the new U4 subway at the HafenCity University stop. The northeast station exit will lead via a pedestrian tun-nel straight into Oberhafen neighbor-hood, with its easily accessible sport and leisure facilities.
30 31
BAAKENHAFEN
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Baakenhafen neighborhood will be intensively used for housing and recreation. 1,800 homes of different types will be built in an urban cityscape. The area’s green “soul” will be an island for play and leisure
Double Waterfronts for Homes, Leisure and Work
Within a few years, one of the most urbane and high-quality neighbor-
hoods of HafenCity will be sited here. The Baakenhafen quarter will be a new, urban residential location whose intense inter-action with water will make it ideal as a center for leisure and sports activities – and thus add a new facet of identity to the image of HafenCity.
The entire site, which stretches out along more than one kilometer, will develop into a dense urban landscape built with a vari-ety of housing categories – joint building ventures, building cooperatives, condo-miniums, as well as subsidized apart-ments. In the original Masterplan, dating from 2000, a high proportion of town-house typologies was planned, but in its revised version, it foresees varied urban structures with a much more urban char-acter. The area will feature five to seven-story buildings throughout, arranged in semi-open block structures with some
The 130-meter-long Baakenhafen bridge will join the northern part of the neighborhood with its southern part from 2013;
the practical, yet elegant steel bridge also represents a milestone on the way to the rapid development of eastern HafenCity
(illustration from competition phase from Wilkinson Eyre Architects, London)
A double exposure to the waterfront is the highlight of the future Baakenhafen neighborhood. At Baakenhöft,
the westernmost point of the quarter, a landmark building, up to 70 meters in height, is to be sited
Over the next few years, a dense urban cityscape, more than one kilometer in length, will grow up on the site,
offering a range of housing and leisure opportunities, as well as commercial uses
smaller open variants on the waterfront. A total of 1,800 apartments will be provided in the neighborhoods.
HafenCity’s signature principle of a fine-grained mix of uses will also be continued in Baakenhafen. Although residential uses predominate, the aim is to encourage var-ied use concepts including retail, services, leisure, and catering. A total of 4,600 job
opportunities will be created in mixed-use buildings, the ground floors of residential buildings, as well as some smaller office buildings and recreational facilities.
At Baakenhöft, the western tip of the quarter, the Masterplan provides for a landmark building 70 meters high. The use for this prominent principal building, whether public or private, will be decided
during the course of HafenCity’s ongoing development.
Leisure and sport play a major role in Baakenhafen. In order to exploit the neigh-borhood’s strong interplay with water optimally, a 1.5 hectare play and leisure island will be created in the harbor basin. Various indoor and outdoor sports facili-ties may be also developed on Vers-mannstrasse, too, near the HafenCity University subway stop, perhaps comple-mented by a family leisure hotel. At the moment there is a gap in the market in Hamburg for a concept of this type; Baak-enhafen could be the ideal location.
In addition to intense juxtapositions with water surfaces, the new Baakenhafen neighborhood will have generous green open spaces and promenades. The tree-lined Lohsepark, HafenCity’s “Central Park”, will be extended down to the River Elbe. Walkers will enjoy the landscaped promenade, 30 meters wide, in the south of the quarter; this will then be connected via a pedestrian and cyclists’ bridge to the leafy island of Entenwerder east of the Elbbrücken bridges.
Eastern HafenCity will be well provided with efficient transport links. Good con-nections will however increase noise levels in the north of the neighborhood. Affect-ed areas will therefore be subject to intel-ligent urban planning concepts to provide noise protection. To ensure that Baaken-hafen’s spatial integration into HafenCity is successful, three new bridges will pro-vide internal connections and connect with neighboring quarters. The large Baakenhafen bridge represents the pre-
lude to a rapid development of eastern HafenCity. The 130-meter steel bridge, to be realized between 2012/13, will be the first flood-secure connection to link the northern area of the neighborhood with its southern part. Since the development of eastern HafenCity is proceeding from west to east (as was the case with western HafenCity), the bridge will guarantee that infrastructure is linked up at an early stage: infrastructural works for residential devel-opment will be started in 2011 and the first sites also put out to tender.
Baakenhafen bridge will not only inte-grate the quarter’s development internal-ly, but also provide an ideal link between the southern area and the HafenCity Uni-versity U4 subway stop, schools close by and Überseequartier, the central shopping location. In the medium term it could also be extended across the River Elbe to Klein-er Grasbrook (e.g. with limited traffic access). Because the bridge’s location pro-vides open views of the northern Elbe and as the long-distance Elbe cycling route will run across it in future, both its qualities as a place to linger and its sustainability had to be taken into account.
The Europe-wide realization competition at the end of 2010 was won by Wilkinson Eyre Architects (London) and the Happold firm of engineers (Berlin). Their design provides for an elegant steel bridge for motorized traffic as well as attractive areas for cyclists and pedestrians: the removable central section of the bridge will allow ships of up to 120 meters in length to continue to berth permanently in Baakenhafen harbor basin.
Further to the east, in the central part of the neighborhood, a new pedestrian bridge will connect northern and southern areas via the new play and leisure island. And in east Baakenhafen harbor basin an embankment combined with a footbridge will separate the area from the shallow basin in Elbbrücken neighborhood, proba-bly from 2016.
The northern area of the quarter is already
used temporarily for leisure activities. In future, the
neighborhood will offer a range of sports facilities
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32 33
OBERHAFEN
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
South of Oberhafen harbor basin, a lasting and yet dynamic creative and cultural quarter is to develop. What is special about it? Development will focus exclusively on existing warehouse buildings. Sports facilities will be realized right by the water
Oberhafen: Destined for Creatives and Culture
Today the area is still dedicated as a rail depot, lacking flood protection and
dominated largely by logistics activities, at least until 2014. But the future looks quite different, for Oberhafen is destined to become the nucleus of a large creative and cultural neighborhood – not a com-mercial and industrial site as originally planned.
The basic concept for Oberhafen neigh-borhood: in the medium term it is to develop into a permanent creative and cultural quarter, publicly accessible, cen-trally located in Hamburg. It will have close connections to the other HafenCity neighborhoods, with Rothenburgsort, City Süd and its newly developing cultural activities, as well as with the Hamburg “museum mile”. At the same time, the presence of older warehouse buildings will help to establish a spatial urban identity.
Here, the conventional HafenCity deve-lopment process has been turned on its head, since, instead of an urban concept
Because it is intersected by railway lines, the centrally located Oberhafen neighborhood is not well connected with the rest of
HafenCity. Later it may also encompass the Central Wholesale Market site to the east; its creative influence will spill over into central
HafenCity neighborhoods, Rothenburgsort, City Süd, the “museum mile” and the whole city
The area now occupied by old storage sheds will develop into a permanent, inspiring
neighborhood for the creative and cultural scene. In place of transport logistics firms,
the port buildings will be let for creative and artistic uses at reasonable rents
being the objective of development, the process strategy is focused on finding new uses and a conceptual design for the inventory of existing buildings. Additio-nal stories will be built on top of the mostly single-story sheds and then a gra-dual development of the site will be con-sidered. The plots will not be sold, but remain the permanent property of the Special Fund for City and Port (HafenCity Hamburg GmbH) so as to retain control for Hamburg over the development.
Lengthy storage buildings and multi-story frontage buildings are the main fea-tures of Oberhafen neighborhood at the moment. The sheds and office space, pri-marily used by rail operator Deutsche Bahn, comprise around 21,000 m2 gross floor area (GFA). Converting these build-ings into creative and cultural spaces will lend them a very public character. Change of use permits will be needed, however, if homes are to be integrated, as the build-ings were not previously used as places of work or for housing. The project will also
involve considerable expense on moderni-zation, as well as measures to include the area in the flood-protection zone.
In the medium term, new-builds will be added to the existing buildings. Private or cooperative investment in new low-budget buildings could be possible if the buildings are used for cultural and creative purposes and are sublet at affordable rents.
Both new and old buildings are to be made available to their users at reasona-ble prices. The mix of old and new could create around 1,500 jobs in Oberhafen neighborhood.
The majority of the existing sites in Ober-hafen are leased for logistics activities until the end of 2013. In addition the whole area is designated as a railroad depot until 2014/15. This means that, after its release from railroad use, the new quarter cannot be intensively developed and adopted for new uses until 2015.
A few small uses already fit into the category of “creative industry”, potential-ly forming the basis for a permanent cre-
ative milieu in Oberhafen that could later spill over into the Central Wholesale Mar-ket site to the east. In the meantime, additional creative and cultural uses are to be established, at least partially.
A detailed concept for the project will be worked out through an intense dialog over the next few years, to be based on a development time-frame of around 15 years. Throughout the development phase, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH will be cooperating closely with Hamburg Krea-tiv GmbH. The latter was founded in March 2010 to promote the young art and cultural landscape and is based in the new Elbtorquartier. At the same time, energetic exchanges of ideas are taking place with creative enterprises and many other creative individuals. A kick-off sym-posium at the end of March 2011 will pro-vide the first impetuses. International case studies are expected to provide pointers as to how to set up a strategic concept and structure the development of the area to the needs of creative indivi-duals and the creative industry. What contributions can urban development and individuals make? These and other issues will be discussed at the conference. To be organized by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, Kampnagel and Hamburg Kreativ GmbH, it will be followed by other events and discussions.
Despite the fact that creative and cultu-ral uses will clearly dominate in Ober-hafen, the neighborhood also offers opportunities for a range of sport and
leisure activities to take place in undeve-loped areas. The revised Masterplan fore-sees using these spaces for sports facilities that could not be fitted into Loh-separk because of the Hanover Railroad Station memorial.
Instead, extensive facilities for all kinds of sports will be developed on the site of former rail tracks from 2014/15, including a football ground by the waterside. The new recreational options will be available to all residents, employees and visitors to HafenCity and to sports clubs. The second
primary and secondary schools planned for the southeastern frontage of Lohse-park will also be able to make use of these fields for school sports.
A new tunnel will make the neighbor-hood more quickly accessible from 2015, at the earliest. The tunnel, leading under the rail embankment, will open out directly in front of the northeast exit of the new HafenCity University subway station, connecting users in Oberhafen neighborhood directly with the U4 line.
34 35
ELBBRÜCKEN
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Towers up to 150 meters high will stand at HafenCity’s eastern entrance, Elbbrücken quarter. A new urban concept, closeness to the water and green Entenwerder Island also make the neighborhood a very attractive place to live
A Metropolitan Business and Residential Neighborhood with View
Elbbrücken quarter will be HafenCity’s second urban center after Übersee-
quartier – but completely different. In future this business and residential loca-tion will be densely built with spectacular high-rises, water surfaces on three sides and a large central plaza by the water, Chi-cago Square. Offering 548,000 m2 gross floor area (GFA), Elbbrücken will be larger than the whole of Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz. To allow the metropolitan qualities of this neighborhood to develop fully, space will
have to be created on two levels: upwards and on the ground.
Urban density of an intensity new to Hamburg will be achieved through con-struction of high or very high structures in a variety of building types. Right next to the Elbbrücken bridges, three striking tow-ers containing 30 to 40 stories each will stand at the easternmost end of the neigh-borhood, while along Versmannstrasse, several elongated block structures 6 to 7 stories high will be built. Fourteen-story
stand-alone towers will form an architec-tonic setting between the Freihafen bridge crossing the Elbe and the rail tracks.
Consequently, a location for significant companies will be delineated in a quality and form that Hamburg has so far lacked. Buildings as high as this in other areas of Hamburg would detract from the inner city’s well-known skyline of church spires, but here, heights of 150 meters or more will harmonize well with it. The Elb-brücken Center will be visible from a great distance. The tower ensemble will be an urban highlight, forming an impos-ing entrée to HafenCity as well as Ham-burg’s inner city – and representing an extraordinary corporate location.
But smaller and growing businesses will also benefit by moving into Elbbrücken. The broad spectrum of properties for ser-vice businesses, of the most varied typolo-gies, offers dynamically growing compa-nies ideal surroundings in which to develop, in a very accessible location.
Even the 2000 version of the Masterplan saw Elbbrücken as a city neighborhood with the character of a center with many high-rise buildings. The revision of the Masterplan has invested the neighbor-hood with new potential in urban plan-ning terms. The eastern end of Baaken-hafen harbor basin will be partly filled in, which will allow buildings to be erected in a double row. The higher industrial build-ings will serve to protect residential buildings behind. Despite the volume of traffic crossing bridges and using Vers-mannstrasse, this will create a noise-pro-tected zone around Chicago Square, ideal for homes. Almost 1,000 very high quality apartments can be built there.
The fine-grained mix typical of Übersee-quartier will not be so prevalent in Elb-brücken. Residential and office uses will be right next-door to each other, however, thanks to the dense, staggered arrange-ment of the buildings. Retail, catering and particularly hotel uses will dominate more the further east one goes.
Up to now, Chicago Square only existed as an abstract concept. But now it has at least been defined as a new urban center, for Elbbrücken neighborhood at least. It will be built into the water in Baaken-hafen harbor basin and bordered by build-ings on three sides, creating space for a classy public center. Like the squares laid out in western HafenCity, Chicago Square will extend toward the water on a variety of levels. The surrounding buildings will house many cafés, restaurants, bars and shops on their ground floors.
The landscaping of the harbor basin itself has also been thoroughly reworked. In place of a marina, the eastern part of Baakenhafen will contain a basin indepen-dent of tidal range. This 7.6 hectare water basin looks like an artificial lake. Users of the neighborhood will experience a spe-cial quality of proximity to the water for HafenCity that is more intensive than with tidal waters. The embankment along the basin will also serve as a bridge for pedes-trians and cyclists, simultaneously contrib-uting to the integration of the quarter. An additional footbridge east of the Elbbrück-en bridges will connect the neighborhood with Entenwerder Elbpark. The link will carry the European Elbe cycling route along the riverbank to HafenCity and northwards past Lohsepark through the Speicherstadt.
To ensure that Elbbrücken functions as an urban business and residential quarter in accessibility terms, the U4 subway will
be extended from the west, at least as far as this; initially underground, then above ground. The Elbbrücken subway station is to be located north of the Elbbrücken bridges, where it can eventually be linked up to the rapid transit system (S-Bahn).
One challenge to be surmounted is how to link Elbbrücken Center with the Chicago Square area, since the rail tracks form a strong barrier in the neighborhood. A lot more thought needs to go into deciding on the most suitable crossings. Urban plan-ning development for the neighborhood should get under way at the conclusion of construction works in Baakenhafen quar-ter from 2015/16 to 2025.
Skyscrapers, water on three sides and the expansive
new Chicago Square are the essential elements of
this future location for business and homes. The
metropolitan heart of eastern HafenCity will create
space in two dimensions: both upwards and at
ground level
Different perspectives of Elbbrücken
quarter: the embankments are partly
overgrown; just a few existing buildings
can be found in this area
36 37
Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Ham-burg Architecture Summer, and the Long Night of the Museums.
New on the scene since 2009 is the Har-bour Front literary festival; the following year the Elbjazz music festival, well known beyond Hamburg, made its debut. Finally the open-air spaces around the Unilever building have been the venue for Hamburg’s first regular design market since August 2010. On Saturdays the Der.Die.Sein Markt is the place to buy or just admire ideas and products from various design disciplines.
Parallel to these events, permanent pri-vately supported projects – such as the Prototyp automobile museum – have been set up too: In the listed building of Harburger Gummi-Kamm-Compagnie, a
factory that once produced rubber arti-cles and combs, a collection of historic racing and sports cars is on show. Local residents are also becoming increasingly culturally active, founding the Kunstkom-panie HafenCity society to support the arts, organizing staircase concerts and a temporary floating sculpture in Gras-brook harbor basin.
The various actors and events are mainly directed by the Cultural Coordination Committee of HafenCity, set up in May 2005 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media. Since then HafenCity Hamburg GmbH representatives have met regularly with experts from the performing and visual arts, classical and pop music, club culture and literature. All members return to their respective scenes full of the ideas
they have discussed, thus drawing the competence of their networks into the debate. But the coordinating circle also develops concepts, assuming a share of the responsibility for shaping cultural life in HafenCity.
Art and culture in HafenCity is therefore not simply consumed by its residents, visitors and tourists, but is also produced here. HafenCity serves them as an inspi-rational space – a place between water and air, between the complete and incomplete, between new and old.
In future, Oberhafen neighborhood will also be a moving force. This area, planned for creative and cultural uses, expands Elbtorquartier, already developing into a focus for knowledge, into western Hafen-City. The conventional development pat-tern in HafenCity will be turned on its head in Oberhafenquartier. Here plots of land will not be sold, but remain special assets of the City of Hamburg: the spring-board for development will be the inven-tory of existing buildings.
Tango dancers take to the floor in the regular summer events taking place in HafenCity
in HafenCity and extended the partner-ship for another three years. In the pro-cess, new avenues were opened up. In cooperation with Kampnagel, Kunstver-ein and Deichtorhallen, several new art projects are to be initiated in 2011 which share a common approach: the focus will be on the possibilities of social coexis-tence and the newly constituted urban public sphere in HafenCity. Thus, for example, the whole summer long Strand-kai will boast a public swimming pool, Hafenbad, constructed out of two cargo containers welded together. Residents, visitors and tourists alike will be invited to swim and enjoy a variety of parallel events. And in the meantime, many other Hamburg cultural institutions are getting involved in HafenCity: e.g. in late summer 2009, artists’ initiatives from all over the world gathered for the subvision, off-art festival. HafenCity is on the map for many recurrent festivals or other cultural annu-al events as a venue or performance loca-tion. These include Summer on the Magel-lan Terraces, with open-air tango, jazz and children’s theater; this popular series of events will be extended to several other locations in 2011 under the name “Summer in the HafenCity”. Also attractive are the
CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
Art and artists are discovering HafenCity and being supported in many different ways. Projects of all kinds are being devel-oped, small and large scale. Institutions with international appeal are emerging at prominent places in HafenCity. Culture is not just consumed here – HafenCity has become a place of inspiration for a variety of cultural and artistic ventures
Curtain Up: HafenCity as a Stage for Art and Culture
Until 2003 the current area of HafenCity was a big blank spot on Hamburg’s cul-
tural map because free-port status and the Harbor Development Act prohibited any type of usage that was unrelated to port activities. Therefore, art and culture could not gradually “trickle” into the port district as was certainly the case in compa-rable cities. But development of HafenCity did finally open up this area at the heart of Hamburg to cultural uses. Nowadays cul-tural and artistic uses are a driving force in the area’s development, adding an extra dimension to its attractions.
The decision to maintain structures typ-ical of a port where possible predestined the area for culture: historic harbor basins and quay walls, cranes and warehouses were restored and are now used to emphasize the cultural-historic heritage of the place.
Totally new settings for art and culture are being created all over HafenCity – and by no means only large, cultural institu-tions such as the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall, the International Maritime Museum Hamburg or the Science Center.
HafenCity is already a venue for numer-ous cultural and artistic activities. While initially mainly cleared sites were made
available for temporary use, a permanent arts and creative quarter is to be devel-oped on the southern bank of Oberhafen from the end of 2014. The requirements of culture and the arts are also always taken into account in the design of parks, promenades and squares.
COLORFUL CULTURE SCENE WITH NUMEROUS ACTORS
The fledgling artistic and cultural land-scape of HafenCity still needs special support. This has led to important coope-ration and organizational structures evolving over time. Apart from pivotal individual initiatives, such as Musical LandArt, it was the first artists’ competi-tion 2004/2005, the fruit of cooperation between the Hamburg Cultural Founda-tion, Körber Foundation and HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, that really launched cul-tural activities in this new part of town. This was followed by theater performan-ces under the same cooperation umbrel-la, including specially conceived summer programs by Thalia Theater. At the begin-ning of 2010, the cooperation partners reoriented their principles in line with the advanced state of cultural development
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Whether for theater, inspiring literature
evenings or open-air concerts, residents and
visitors alike are attracted to HafenCity’s many
cultural events
38 39
vated the warehouse at Elbtorquartier, converting it into a museum but leaving its characteristic architecture intact. A small mall, accommodating a museum shop, a restaurant and a bistro, now runs through the ground floor. The Museums-brücke bridge leads directly from the Speicherstadt into this passageway. The ten floors or “decks” of the museum, cov-ering 11,500 m2, house an exhibition based on the private collection of Profes-sor Peter Tamm, consisting of model ships, design plans for ships, as well as a multitude of nautical devices, paintings and drawings. Kaispeicher B and its adja-cent building also accommodate the Institute of Shipping and Marine History and a library, including an archive.
ELBPHILHARMONIE CONCERT HALL
The Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall will be an incomparable landmark for Ham-burg. Swiss star architects Herzog & de Meuron are now erecting a spectacular concert venue within the walls of mighty Kaispeicher A, a cocoa warehouse built between 1963 and 1966 to plans by archi-tect Werner Kallmorgen.
Although the core of this striking struc-ture was completely removed, its cubic
shape and brick façades remain intact. Thus, a worldwide unique architectonic hybrid is emerging, which will also house a five-star hotel and 45 apartments.
The former warehouse building is crowned by an undulating, curved and inclining glass structure, blending historic port architecture and contemporary archi-tectural creativity, port tradition and the district’s new self-confidence. A public plaza offering fantastic views of the har-bor, HafenCity, the River Elbe and the city will take shape at a height of 37 meters on the brick building below the new glass structure.
Two thirds of the gutted warehouse will be used for car parking, but backstage areas and places for musical education will be accommodated here as well. The new glass superstructure, almost 110 meters high, will contain two large audi-toriums holding audiences of 2,150 and 550 respectively. The Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall will become a unique loca-tion for performances of classical music, music of the 21st century and sophisti-cated musical entertainment. The top-ping out ceremony was held in May 2010. The Elbphilharmonie will be ready in 2013; its “appetiser” program is already being performed in a variety of venues, such as the St. Katharinen church. The unveiling
The fascinating 70-meter-high Science Center
was designed by OMA architects (Rotterdam).
The building opens out like a gateway to the
world of science
of the first designs by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron in 2003 caused an international sensation; however, their plans could only be realized through the unequalled commitment of Hamburg citizens, more than 7,500 of whom prom-ised support for the construction phase, as well as endowments toward the con-cert hall’s eventual running costs.
SCIENCE CENTER
The setting for another outstanding cul-tural project will be created by Rem Kool-haas with his Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). In early 2008, the Dutch architect presented his second, totally reworked designs for the Science Center. The structure, a standing, angular ring, will be located right next to the River Elbe in Überseequartier. The Science Cen-ter opens out emblematically toward the port as well as the city, symbolizing a gate into the world of knowledge.
Its exhibition concept resembles a sci-entific experimental kit: the ten key top-ics will be given an exciting treatment that will make them understandable to children, teens and adults alike. The Sci-ence Center will show that science does
Breathtaking architecture and an incomparable position: the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall rises like the crest of a glass wave above the former
Kaispeicher A warehouse building (left: the current status of construction, right: a visualization of the completed concert hall)
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Creative and cultural uses are already established on the doorstep of the nearby historic Speicherstadt warehouse district, which houses several museums describ-ing the past of this listed ensemble. Now it is also attracting an increasing number of creative people, including artists and gallery owners. The annual open-air Hamburger Jedermann theater produc-tion presented by Michael Batz has been an important “cultural pioneer”. Long before HafenCity was able to become a place of culture, back in the 1990s, this theater experience in Speicherstadt established itself as a permanent feature of Hamburg’s cultural scene.
INTERNATIONAL MARITIMEMUSEUM HAMBURG
An overarching role in the neighbor-hood is played by the three major cultural institutions in HafenCity: the Interna-tional Maritime Museum Hamburg opened its doors in the summer of 2008. It took up residence in Kaispeicher B, a warehouse dating from 1879 (architects: Wilhelm Emil Meerwein, Bernhard Hans-sen); it is actually the oldest warehouse in HafenCity and the Speicherstadt.
From the summer of 2005, architect Mirjana Markovic had extensively reno-
not need to be dry and boring. The con-cept includes many hands-on exhibits. They may be touched and tried out: here, playful exploration and independent experiments turn learning into an excit-ing experience.
Project development company Groß + Partner submitted this exhibition con-cept at the end of 2006 on behalf of the Überseequartier investor consortium.
It was created in close cooperation with representatives from universities, experts from Hamburg and elsewhere, scientific journalists, departments of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and HafenCity Hamburg GmbH.
The next steps to finance and realize the 23,000 m2 gross floor area (GFA) project are already under way: on the financing side, the Überseequartier consortium is making a contribution, while additional funds will be acquired through partial private uses of the building. Significant support is moreover expected from spon-sors, for the project represents an important opportunity for visitors to experience the scientific and technical topics of society at first hand. It is still to be decided when construction of the proj-ect can begin, once detailed pre-planning is complete.
Around 3,000 years of exciting seafaring history is told on the ten decks of this
renovated former grain store, which opened in June 2008
CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
40 41
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
For many decades Hamburg city was completely dominated by office and retail uses. Now HafenCity, with its future population of some 12,000 residents, is reinforcing the “living” aspects of city-center life. This opens up a whole new world of opportunities for creating a lively and pleasant inner-city core – in which urbanity and neighborly coexistence complement each other
City-center Life: HafenCity as a Place of Neighborly Coexistence
The variety of housing in HafenCity is exceptional: apartments to rent or to
buy are available in different price brack-ets, homes are being built by building cooperatives and joint building ventures, and there are even special facilities on offer, for example for musicians, design-ers or seniors. The first subsidized rental apartments will be built in Am Lohsepark. Throughout HafenCity, the spectrum of concepts, prices and architectural styles available motivates people of all ages and from the most diverse backgrounds to get interested in HafenCity. Even though spe-cial factors in HafenCity, such as flood protection, foundations of buildings and high ecological standards, mean that rentals run at 2-3 euros per square meter more than comparable new-builds nearer the city center core, living in HafenCity is attractive to wide-ranging social groups. This is mirrored in the residential struc-ture so far.
Many families made the decision to move into the new district at an early stage of HafenCity’s development. They appreciate particularly the opportunity to be able to combine family and job eas-
ily and flexibly from a base in HafenCity. Here it is not just the availability of jobs, but also the high-quality child care that has been available at least since the Katharinen primary school and kindergar-ten opened in 2009. Twelve percent of HafenCity households include children, a proportion in line with other inner-city districts such as Winterhude or Eimsbüt-tel. It is likely that demand from families will increase further. To meet that poten-tial need, at least one more secondary school and a primary school will be built in eastern HafenCity, in addition to day-care centers near residential clusters.
Another strongly represented group of residents are couples aged 50+, who want a change after their children have moved out. They tend then to look for a new home, usually smaller, but situated in stimulating surroundings. Their high degree of mobility also means that access to a railroad station, airport and fast roads is indispensable, too.
Then come young, career-driven cou-ples and single people who are attracted by the new district’s prestige waterfront position, housing with lots of potential
for creating individual homes, and of course the central location of this new part of town. Their direct neighbors could be retired people who have specifically pinpointed HafenCity as their retirement base. Retirees explicitly combine their move with the wish to open a new (resi-dential) chapter in their lives, which is why they have chosen a place where attractive activities, such as culture and events, are just around the corner, adding up to a socially alive environment.
For many residents it is exactly this com-munity of people of all ages with such dif-ferent lifestyles that makes HafenCity so exciting. Yet many other aspects also bond
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
residents, such as identification with the area’s orientation toward the river and the port, desire for an urban context to live in, or the wish to be part of a new venture and to become active in shaping it.
This prevailing positive mood has led to rapid development of contacts between neighbors in the first completed quarter, Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai. A flurry of communication channels and networks has been set up, such as the digital resi-dents’ forum hafencityleben.de, or the HafenCity-Zeitung, a paper started by one of the locals on his own initiative (www.hafencitynews.de), regular local get-togethers, special occasions such as a flea market or a summer fête, and a series of courtyard parties. Sport is not neglected either: Störtebeker SV sports club offers a wide range of activities, while culture-vultures enjoy events such as stairwell concerts organized by Kunstcompanie HafenCity e.V. Parents who decided the Treasure Island playground needed a play house got together and made it happen. In future, three play and community build-ings, offering their facilities for everything from play to discussions through to par-ties, will be an important addition.
Many residents therefore already expe-rience HafenCity as a place which offers them a lot of added value compared to the areas they lived in before. Identification with the new district is actively promoted by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, which encourages such initiatives and seeks intensive dialog with residents, both through direct contact and through regu-lar information and discussion forums.
Intensive communication of this kind is in line with the very interesting, but also very demanding, residential circumstanc-es offered by the new city district, whose success should not be taken for granted. HafenCity Hamburg GmbH regards it as a responsibility not only to establish a mix of diverse uses, but to make sure that these different components actually gel, and to help maintain a careful equilibrium.
One initiative to encourage even great-er responsibility was the founding of Netzwerk HafenCity e.V. in October 2009. Many questions that affect everyday life are discussed – and solutions found if possible. Interest groups have been set-up, for example to look at the traffic situation around the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall , to try and make HafenCity
Pleasant atmosphere: many users of HafenCity appreciate the juxtaposition between lively urban spaces (right) and more peaceful areas (left).
There are also sheltered private areas reserved for residents (apartment building right background)
The city district has attributes to appeal to everyone – whether families, young couples, single people or seniors. As well as a series of spacious
squares and promenades in western HafenCity, there is a playground, and courts for basketball and boules have been laid out
more hospitable as a habitat for animals, and to deal with issues impinging on the social structure of the new city district. The network is explicit that it is not a vehicle for realizing the specific interests of individuals, but for finding cooperative solutions between those involved. In addition, it has already become thor-oughly involved in initiating events and festivities, such as exchange visits taking place between residents of HafenCity and Rothenburgsort. In these ways, the network is making a real contribution to intensifying neighborly coexistence in HafenCity and beyond.
42 43
Two small parks also taking shape in western HafenCity. This is Sandtorpark, which is to open in 2011.
The cube is the Elbphilharmonie information center
for construction in 2012. Promenades link together this variety of urban spaces. From Sandtorkai promenade, for instance, walk-ers or cyclists can reach Kaiserkai prom-enade via Magellan Terraces; it leads past three historic port cranes to the forecourt of the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall, merg-ing into Dalmannkai promenade. Here the Dalmannkai steps drop down in green,
tree-lined steps to Grasbrookhafen. Vasco da Gama Plaza, also alongside the prom-enade, with its basketball field and outside eating areas, is a popular meeting place. South of the Marco Polo Terraces strollers reach the new Elbterrassen steps, after passing through Grosser Grasbrook’s open spaces and the publicly accessible mall in Unilever House.
Architect Beth Galí and her firm BB + GG arquitectes won the competition for land-scaping central HafenCity – Überseequart-ier and Magdeburger Hafen harbor in oth-er words. The firm’s choice of materials for its first plaza design (completed 2008) in front of the International Maritime Muse-um Hamburg at Kaispeicher B references the brick architecture of the old ware-
Dalmannkai steps are a much loved meeting place – not
just in summer (above left). Open spaces throughout
HafenCity are on two levels; ramps and steps give access
to lower level promenades. A vast open-air stairway leads
up to the forecourt of the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall
Hamburg’s new landmark (right)
PUBLIC URBAN SPACES
The new neighborhood enriches Hamburg with exciting, new urban spaces beside – and even on – the water
The City of Plazas, Parks and Promenades
It is probably more than coincidence that two of the three major international
competitions to landscape open space decided so far were won by architectural firms from Barcelona: the importance HafenCity attaches to urban open spaces usually applies only in a few, generally southern, European cities. For in the new district, squares, promenades and parks not only serve as a thread linking various forms of architecture and uses, as well as public places, but also as distinguishing features in their own right.
The significance of these urban open spaces for HafenCity is clear from just a few key figures: 22 percent of its land area is to be developed as open space. The green and leafy character of HafenCity has been intensified once more through the Masterplan revision for the eastern neigh-
borhoods and the result of the third major open space competition for Lohsepark. The total area of open space in HafenCity increases from 24 to 27 hectares (exclud-ing private publicly accessible areas): the shoreline extends from nearly 10 to 10.5 kilometers, while the 34 hectares of water surface (excluding the River Elbe) will also be configured and usable. Architec-tural firm EMBT Arquitectes Associates designed the largely completed urban spaces in the western section of Hafen-City, an elaborate and esthetic interplay between water and land; severe forms typical of a port contrast with airy Medi-terranean influences.
Two large terrace ensembles were cre-ated at the heads of the Sandtorhafen and Grasbrookhafen harbor basins. The Magellan Terraces (5,600 m2), completed
in 2005, cascade down to the water on several levels. The rather hard surfaces of this amphitheater-like plaza emphasize its urban character.
From here the gaze sweeps across to the Traditional Ship Harbor in Sandtorhafen, opened in 2008; this 5,800 m2 floating promenade rises and falls with the tide, providing permanent moorings for up to 30 historic watercraft. With the comple-tion of HafenCity’s first planted park in 2010, the 6,000 m2 Sandtorpark in the ubiquitous quarter nearby, this open space ensemble is now entire.
The Marco Polo Terraces (7,800 m2) opened in 2007. Grass islands, wooden decks and trees, break them down into smaller sec-tions, so that they appear more sheltered, green and soft. In Grasbrookhafen harbor, another pleasure-craft marina is scheduled
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
The Magellan Terraces at the head of Sandtorhafen are bordered by prominent buildings such as the Coffee Plaza.
On Kaiserkai promenade, people stroll under a restored port crane
44 45
Many residents and visitors like to watch the ships go by from the four planted terraces
inclining toward the water on Dalmannkai promenade
On the western bank of Magdeburger Hafen harbor, the HafenCity sustainability pavilion stands on the attractive
new promenade (top right). A spacious flight of open-air steps leads down from the Unilever building to the Elbe (left);
the forecourt of the International Maritime Museum Hamburg is also finished (right)
house: lines of brown and reddish granite bisect the asphalt terrazzo. Since fall 2010, the open-space ensemble around Magde-burger Hafen harbor basin has been invit-ing passersby to look out across the water and toward the Speicherstadt – e.g. from Busanbrücke bridge, opened in December 2010, which connects Überseequartier and the Elbtor neighborhood across Magde-burger Hafen. As well as being an historic bridge, it also offers a charming area above the water: like the surrounding promenade, it is paved with natural stone. Its under-lit benches invite passersby to take a rest in this inspiring architectural and urban place.
From the bridge, the gaze also takes in the up to 12-meter-wide waterside promenade parallel with Osakaallee on the west embankment of the harbor basin. Ramps, steps and clumps of green shrubs connect the flood-protected road level here with the historic quay of Mag-deburger Hafen. A waterside pavilion is built into the difference in elevation; an
exhibition illustrating the sustainability aspects of HafenCity will be on show this year, a contribution to Hamburg’s year as European Green Capital.
Opposite, on the eastern side of Magde-burger Hafen, an ensemble of buildings with an urban loggia has been taking shape since spring 2011. This two-story arcade space is closely related to the promenade being built in front of it on a pier construction, which will form the new waterline on the east side of Magdeburger Hafen. The promenade provides the link from the square in front of the former Kai-speicher B warehouse to the open spaces at HafenCity University, since the pier con-tinues on under the Baakenbrücke bridge, offering an attractive route from the Mag-deburger Hafen promenades to Lohsepark and Baakenhafen basin.
Further north, where HafenCity and the Speicherstadt come together, BHF Landschaftsarchitekten (Kiel) designed the building plinths and promenade on
Sandtorkai. WES & Partner Landschafts-architekten (Hamburg) landscaped the open spaces in Brooktorkai/Ericus neigh-borhood – and notably the promenades. The new Brooktorkai promenade, follow-ing the meander of Brooktor Hafen harbor basin, was completed in 2010. On part of it, a 30-meter stone sofa allows comfortable views over the harbor basin. An additional bridge connection across St. Annen canal joins Brooktorkai promenade with the Magdeburger Hafen open spaces across the St. Annen point; this bridge link merg-es together the open spaces of Übersee-quartier up to Ericus point and Oberbaum.
The Ericusspitze promenade, the con-tinuation of Brooktorkai promenade, has been under construction since spring 2011.
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
By fall an attractive promenade will be ready, with a spacious flight of steps invit-ing people to change levels. They can then reach the new Spiegel publishing house on foot from there, as well as a funnel-shaped plaza with views of Ericus canal and Ober-hafen harbor basin.
But green spaces also embellish the built environment. In the west, Sandtor-park, with mounds, trees and a grassy play area, is the urban planning element unifying a variety of uses, since the materials and ground surface design of the Magellan Terraces is also continued around the open space surrounding the park as well as neighboring buildings. The green area, usable from April 2011, thus unites the atmosphere of a maritime port with metropolitan flair. The 850 m2 Trea-sure Island playground close by at View-Point has been populated by children since 2008; as soon as Grasbrookpark is ready in 2013, it will be replaced by a new and significantly larger play area there.
Lohsepark will be the largest contigu-
ous green area in HafenCity, covering four hectares stretching from the Ericus canal down to the River Elbe. This “Central Park”, designed by Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten AG (Zurich), will run like a wide green rib-bon from waterline to waterline: parts of the park will be ready in 2013, the remain-der from 2018. Wide-ranging grassy areas, more than 500 newly planted trees and terraces lining the side interfaces with surrounding streets will structure the Lohsepark open space. An integrated memorial remembers the Jewish, Sinti and Roma people deported from Hanover rail-road station formerly on this site (see p.29 ff). The park will join up with a 30-meter wide promenade by the River Elbe, which will eventually lead walkers as far as Entenwerder island. In addition, in Baak-enhafen the harbor basin will boast a 1.5 hectare artificial play and leisure island. A competition to landscape the open space here will be held in 2011.
In addition to these public open spaces, many private areas in HafenCity are also
accessible to all residents, local employ-ees and visitors. Public and private land is closely interlocked; many spaces in private ownership are subject to general rights of way. This ensures, for instance, that private areas between buildings remain passable to pedestrians or cyclists – and that the neighborhood is crisscrossed by a dense network of such paths and well-connected leisure areas.
The design of private areas of this kind accessible to the general public usually echoes that of neighboring public spaces. In Überseequartier, tolerance of political advertising, demonstrations or begging, as well as artistic and cultural activities, such as musical performances in private areas, is set down in the register of real estate: despite the preponderance of pri-vate real estate owners then, Übersee-quartier remains a very public space.
PUBLIC URBAN SPACES
46 47
U4 subway line(Überseequartier stop)
Unilever building
City of short distances
Hydrogen fillingstation
Katharinenschule school
Sandtorpark
SustainabilityPavilion
City of short distances: many destinations are so close that they can be reached really quickly on foot or by bicycle.
For a quiet pause, the many squares, parks and promenades provide welcome seating
Parking above ground is strictly limited in general.
In any event, as HafenCity development is so very central, it can also be reached very easily without a car. The two stops of the new U4 subway line guarantee excel-lent connections to local public transport services. And cyclists and pedestrians can cover the route between the new city district and existing city center in minutes.
Once inside HafenCity, the fine-grained mix of work, retail, gastronomic or resi-dential uses ensures short distances to almost everywhere – covered quickly by a close-knit network of foot and bicycle paths. Pedestrians have two and a half times as many kilometers of pathway at their disposal as motorists – sidewalks running on both sides of roads are only counted once. The density of footpaths is thus double that in the similarly densely
built, late 19th century district of Eims-büttel, for instance.
Seventy percent of foot and cycling paths run separated from motorized traf-fic on promenades, piers and squares; 30 percent run beside water. And since HafenCity has scarcely any extended blocks of buildings, pedestrians and cyclists seldom have to take a long way round. Thoroughfares between many free-standing buildings are also available. Most public rights of way here guarantee accessibility indefinitely.
Twenty-four red bicycles stand ready for use outside the Unilever building on Strandkai, supplied by the new Hamburg city bike rental system StadtRad; the next two StadtRad hire points will be in place by summer 2011, with others planned. Low car ownership will also be promoted in eastern HafenCity, e.g. through intelli-gent car-sharing systems.
Supply of heat to the new district will be guaranteed by innovative concepts. After a Europe-wide tender procedure, the con-tract to supply heat to western Hafen-City was awarded to energy supplier Vattenfall in 2003: an upper emission limit value of 175 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour (g/kWh) will not be exceeded. Compared with gas-powered heating units in individual buildings, this amounts to a reduction of 27 percent. All buildings in western HafenCity are con-nected to district heating networks for this purpose. In combination with decen-tralized heat generated by fuel-cell tech-nology and solar thermal energy, this produces a very efficient blend of energy – geothermal plants are used in indivi-dual cases.
Heat supply for HafenCity’s eastern sec-tion will see CO2 emission limits reduced even more significantly to just 89 g/kWh. After tenders had been invited from all
In creating HafenCity, Hamburg is building for the future, putting leading-edge standards into place right now. Ecological sustainability is inherent to the design of many new individual buildings, but the underlying concept of HafenCity itself is founded on the sensible use of resources
A City of the 21st Century
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
In a place where industry and port uses dominated the cityscape for more than
a century, construction of a new city district is growing apace. It will provi-de homes and workplaces, cultural and recreational opportunities, as well as high-quality public spaces. Hamburg is no longer growing on its greenfield periphe-ry, as was the case in the 1980s and 1990s. Instead old areas of the port are being upgraded – and the city is being expan-
SUSTAINABILITY
ded by 40 percent. Overall, HafenCity is being densely built. The floor space index (FSI) ranges from 3.4 to 5.2 in the various neighborhoods. This density reveals an efficient utilization of land that, thanks to the waterside location, is tolerable despi-te the high proportion of residential use.
In contaminated places such as the site of the old gasworks, the soil was removed in an elaborate process. This considerably enhances the ecological value of this old
industrial area – surface sealing of soil has also been reduced significantly. Plazas, promenades and parks are now taking shape on a total area of approximately 27 hectares. Intensive use has been made of the ground as a resource: HafenCity will not have a single parking garage above ground – apart from parking in the Elb-philharmonie Concert Hall – because of the generous space in underground garages in the plinths of buildings.
With its range of innovative and very sustainable projects, HafenCity is making a big
contribution to Hamburg’s presentation as European Green Capital 2011
48 49
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
SUSTAINABILITY
over Europe, Dalkia Energie won the con-tract in 2009. Its concept is for a local energy supply network, fed by various power units both within and outside HafenCity. A woody biomass-fired com-buster, a biomethane fuel cell and a heat pump – almost all renewable energy sources – will be deployed. Wood combu-stion will fire one of three heating plants on the site of the former Hamburg Cen-tral Market in place of an existing wood burning unit. Because of its decentralized structure, the system can grow with the new neighborhood. Flexibility was a cru-cial factor in this tender: since develop-ment of HafenCity will continue into the 2020s, future demand cannot be accura-tely estimated at this stage.
But it is not only fundamental concepts of this type that make HafenCity such a model of sustainability, it is also the site of a series of research and future projects: in Grosser Grasbrook, for instance, tests are under way to see how room climate can be dehumidified through geothermal means. Right next door in the heating plant in western HafenCity, a pilot fuel cell project is in operation. And at Ober-baumbrücke, Europe’s largest public hydrogen filling station starts operating this year, refueling Hamburg Hochbahn’s growing fleet of hydrogen-powered buses. Sustainability also plays an impor-tant role in the implementation of indivi-dual construction projects.
Since 2007 HafenCity Hamburg GmbH has been awarding the gold Ecolabel for extraordinary attainment, and the silver Ecolabel for special attainment in reali-zing sustainable buildings. The award is designed to motivate private and public developers to handle resources responsib-ly. In addition to the ecological factors, it also evaluates economic and social sustai-nability. Here, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH is a pioneer because certification valid throughout Germany was not introduced until January 2009 by the German associ-ation for sustainable building (DGNB).
Ecolabels may be awarded on a prelimi-nary basis even before construction begins. The developer has to make the relevant application by submitting tech-nical planning documents identifying the building’s special or outstanding claims to sustainability. After these documents have been approved by an independent assessor, the Ecolabel will be awarded preliminarily. This gives buil-ders and developers the chance to fea-ture preliminary certification in their marketing phase. Potential purchasers or lessees have the advantage of recei-ving confirmation of the sustainable fea-tures of their desired real estate project from an independent assessor. A final certificate will only be awarded once the building project is completed and the implementation of sustainability stan-dards can be proven.
Initially the Ecolabel applied to residenti-al, office and special constructions. But since increasing numbers of buildings with retail or hotel uses and multi-uses are going up in central and eastern HafenCity, these building types can also be certified as of 2010. The expanded Ecolabel addres-ses more options for the various use requi-rements; it can thus apply to all essential building types to be found in an inner city.
Certification breaks down into five categories, which can be refined or added to as necessary, or be subject to stricter benchmarks. The first category of the cri-teria catalog to be fulfilled is a significant reduction of primary energy consumpti-on (well below statutory requirements) for running a building. For residential buildings, the strict passive-house stan-dard has to be achieved.
In the Ecolabel’s second category, construction projects that manage public goods in a sustainable manner, for instance by using advanced sanitary equipment to cut water consumption, will score. Recognition is also given for effi-cient use of publicly accessible areas, for instance by planning in cafés on ground floors, or creating roof gardens.
In the third category, HafenCity rewards the use of ecofriendly construction mate-rials. Buildings must be free of materials containing halogen, volatile solvents or biocides. All tropical wood has to stem from certified, sustainable sources.
Particular consideration of health and well-being belong to the fourth cate-gory. Decisive factors here are parame-ters such as comfortable room tempera-ture, non-allergenic fixtures and fittings, reverberation and sound insulation. Revi-sion of the criteria also means that users now have even greater influence on glare protection and air circulation in automa-tically air-conditioned spaces.
Completely barrier-free mobility consti-tutes the fifth category. Buildings should be easily accessible for people with limi-ted mobility. Washrooms, for example, should provide plenty of space. Sustaina-ble building facility operations, including low maintenance and the use of durable materials, are also part of this category. A monitoring certificate showing actual energy consumption has to be provided in the building’s first two years of operation.
Europe’s largest public hydrogen filling station opens at Oberbaumbrücke bridge this year (left). In Grosser Grasbrook,
energy supplier Vattenfall has set up a pilot fuel cell plant for heat supply to western HafenCity (right)
An outstandingly sustainable concept to
provide heating to eastern HafenCity has
been developed. Low-emission heat will
be generated decentrally at several points
and then fed into a district heating
network
The Ecolabel has very quickly proven a huge success: within three years, prelimi-nary certification was awarded for 130,000 m2 at the rigorous gold standard; buildings include Katharinenschule pri-mary, the Unilever building, the new Spie-gel group publishing building, the new HafenCity University building, the Com-mercial Center building at Sandtorpark, the NIDUS joint venture building as well as an ensemble in Elbtorquartier to be occupied, among others, by Greenpeace Deutschland and the design center desi-gnxport. In addition, certification is plan-ned for another 163,000 m2 GFA (status: spring 2011). Other buildings will quickly follow because tender invitations now increasingly include the requirement that building projects should meet the strin-gent standards of the gold Ecolabel – and tenants increasingly insist on them. In eastern HafenCity the aim is to reach a
level of more than 50 percent gold certi-fication for residential buildings and at least 30 percent for other buildings, although the actual level achieved is expected to be a lot higher. In future, the gold standard Ecolabel will be mandatory for buildings which include residential use. Thus it is clear that, although sustai-nability in HafenCity is a timeless con-cept, the criteria will be continually scru-tinized and developed to achieve the most effective possible results. The new Sustainability Pavilion on the embank-ment of Magdeburger Hafen harbor basin provides a good impression of this. In the year in which Hamburg holds the title “European Green Capital”, a compact exhibition, covering 130 m2, describes the ecological emphasis of HafenCity’s urban development.
HafenCity includes an unusually high
proportion of squares, promenades and parks.
The densely built environment makes effective
use of ground as a resource, simultaneously
reducing the amount of surface sealing
Water area*: Pontoons on the water
Land area*: Traffic area Built-up area Public open spaces (squares, parks, promenades, paths) Private areas, public access Private areas, no public access
*not including Oberhafen quarter (as long-term development not yet decided)
Remote district heating network
HafenCity heating plant, gas poweredwith fuel cell and steam turbineCombined heat and power units
Solar thermal, residential
Local district heating – planned network
Fuel cell with peak load boiler(possible location)Wood combustion (possible location)
Electric heat pump (possible location)
50 51
Complex reconstruction of infrastructure is a prerequisite for the conversion of old port areas. HafenCity has a brand new
network of roads and paths, linking it via a series of external and internal bridges with the existing city center
on a total 10.5 kilometer contact area. It even has navigable stretches of water suit-able for ocean-going vessels, and corre-spondingly deep quay walls. All in all, the development of HafenCity’s infrastruc-ture is a particularly complex and finan-cially demanding task, which also has to be partially carried out in parallel with a mul-titude of construction activities by private investors.
The HafenCity area shows ample evi-dence of its past as an industrial and port district. The extension of the modern port facilities that began in 1862 gave this area its signature appearance which largely remains – harbor basins, quays and several existing revitalized historical buildings – constitute HafenCity’s typical character today.
In many places, Am Sandtorkai/Dal-mannkai, for instance, historic structures
could be partially conserved. New quay walls were built in sections where the old substance was too damaged or previous-ly did not exist. The area’s industrial uses left traces: highly contaminated ground on a number of sites had to be cleaned.
Flood protection was, and remains, an important precondition for building HafenCity. There was a conscious deci-sion not to surround it with dikes. Works would have had to be completed prior to realization of the first buildings through-out the 126-hectare land area of the new district. A speedy start to HafenCity’s development would therefore not have been possible and, at the same time, dike construction would also have generated significant front-end costs. From a built environment standpoint, dikes would have destroyed many of HafenCity’s unique waterfront characteristics.
Instead, new buildings – and streets – are built on elevated mounds: these foun-dations are 8 meters above mean sea level, protect the development from floods and offer space inside for flood-secure parking garages. In contrast, promenades and certain squares will remain at this area’s current elevation of about 4.5 to 5.5 meters above sea level, therefore attractively preserving their close links to the water.
An additional challenge is the clay soil. Clay, a so-called cohesive soil layer, changes in volume according to humidity, which means it is incapable of bearing heavy weight. This is why all buildings in HafenCity are built on piles. These are usually driven around 20 meters deep into the earth, into ground that can sus-tain the weight. For road building, on the other hand, structural fill is used to raise
Cross-section of a quay indicating the flood-secure
central access route, the flood-secure location of the
buildings and the margins of the elevated mounds.
Quaysides and promenades remain at a lower level. The
sectional view also shows the construction of the old
quay walls with rear anchorings (above). On Dalmannkai,
the interplay of quay walls, promenades at a historically
low level and flood-secure plinths dictates the way the
urban topography of the neighborhood is used (right)
INFRASTRUCTURE
HafenCity’s backbone is its new infrastructure: in building it, however, the area’s proximity to water, ground conditions and flood risks present particular challenges
New Infrastructure – Basis of the Urban Development
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
Large urban development projects that evolve from land use conversions are
faced with the management of major land development activities (e.g. demolition of unusable buildings or decontamination of soil) and tremendous infrastructural tasks: the prerequisites for any new uses with increased urban density. This includes building new roads and high-capacity water, sewerage, power supply, district heating and communication networks.
In the case of HafenCity, a number of other site-specific infrastructural require-ments have to be fulfilled.
The HafenCity site is an island indented by several harbor basins in the River Elbe. The prerequisites for intensive and urban use are therefore internal and external links and integration.
Other issues to be taken into account include the east-west orientation of the Speicherstadt’s historic warehouses, act-ing like a barrier between HafenCity and the city center, as well as waterways extending in an east-west direction. These meant, for instance, that efficient public transport connections would only work well via subway. Furthermore, the whole of HafenCity is, or rather was, situ-ated outside Hamburg’s dike line on low-lying land 4 to 5.5 meters above sea level, which means that it is subject to occa-sional flooding and that extra protection is required.
And finally, HafenCity not only includes a 3.3 km stretch of Elbe riverbank or shore-line; it is an integrated landscape of water and harbor basins where water meets land
52 53
parts of Baakenhafen neighborhood from 2013. This 130 m long Baakenhafenbrücke bridge represents an important mile-stone on the way to rapid development of eastern HafenCity, where infrastructural connections for housing construction will start in 2011. Medium term this flood-secure link might be continued across the River Elbe to Kleiner Grasbrook.
In addition, numerous pedestrian and cycling routes will be created; two pedes-trian bridges are planned across the Baak-enhafen harbor basin. A new tunnel will connect Oberhafenquartier and Am Lohsepark neighborhood, which are at present separated by railroad tracks. The tunnel, to run under the railway embank-ment from 2012 at the earliest, opens directly onto the northeast exit of the HafenCity University subway station. Thus the tunnel offers both a direct con-nection to the U4 and access to nearby green Lohsepark.
Both existing and planned transport routes will lead to increased noise levels in part of eastern HafenCity. For that rea-son, non-noise sensitive commercial uses will dominate in east Versmannstrasse, which also act as a noise buffer for the housing behind it.
HafenCity’s central situation is also an open invitation to dispense with cars: the complex network of footpaths and cycling routes is unusually close-meshed (see p.48 ff). No problem for people with-out their own bicycles: bikes can be rent-ed in front of the Unilever building from the Hamburg StadtRad hire system for which additional rental points are planned in HafenCity in future.
An essential requirement for sustain-ability in HafenCity, with its dense mix of
uses and high level of visitors, is an effi-cient, close-knit public transport system. Two existing subway stations (U1 and U3) are sited at the interface with the current city center. The new U4 subway, ready by fall 2012, will boast two stations, Überse-equartier and HafenCity University. The breakthrough for the second tunnel of the future U4 subway line at Jungfern-stieg was celebrated at the end of 2010. This means that the basic work for the new line between the city center and HafenCity University is completed. As soon as operation begins, 23,000 people a day are expected to use the line.
Another U4 station is to be built north of the Elbbrücken bridges, where it could also join with the rapid transit (S-Bahn) rail line in the medium term.
HafenCity already has good and flexible HVV bus services that are constantly being adapted to match the growth of the new city district. It will also be con-nected by water in future: from spring 2011 on, the HADAG port ferry service will
be calling at the first pier (near the Elb-philharmonie Concert Hall).
The transport system is thus keeping pace with the development of the district. Planning and realization of these complex infrastructural measures (except on pri-vate land) is the responsibility of the devel-oper, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, owned by the City of Hamburg.
Financing of such top-quality, innova-tive infrastructure services in HafenCity is covered exclusively by sales of land in the planning zone. However, finance for the new U4 subway line, planned and realized by Hamburger Hochbahn AG, comes out of budgetary funds of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as well as federal subsidies. The cost of external accessibility to HafenCity, the planned reconstruction of Deichtorplatz and oth-er hubs, as well as bridges to be con-structed between HafenCity and other city neighborhoods, is also financed out of Hamburg’s state budget.
The needs of pedestrians with limited mobility and cyclists received particular consideration during
planning of squares and promenades. Differences in height are bridged by gradually inclining ramps
the level by 9 to 10 meters: first the weight of heaped up sand presses any water out of the as yet unstable ground; before the top layer is removed again, piping and con-duit can be laid and roads built.
All new roads have been laid at a flood-protected level of at least 7.5 to 8.3 meters above sea-level; in addition, new flood-proof bridges will be built or older bridges renovated and raised. An exception is the road Am Sandtorkai/western Brooktorkai that runs between HafenCity and Speich-erstadt: because of the proximity of the historic Speicherstadt, raising this street over its entire width was not possible or meaningful.
In the seldom and brief case of a storm surge, therefore, new flood-secure access-es to HafenCity are being created. The first one already runs across the Kibbelsteg-brücken bridges. Under normal circum-stances they are an attractive route for pedestrians and cyclists; in flood situa-tions these bridges provide access for emergency vehicles. The second flood-proof road axis via Oberbaumbrücke bridge, Brooktorkai, Shanghaiallee and
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
INFRASTRUCTURE
The U4 subway line will connect HafenCity with the central public transport hubs of Jungfernstieg, the central station and Berliner Tor. Regular bus services run by
Hamburger Hochbahn are already serving the city district (public transport target concept). It is planned to extend the U4 through to the Elbbrücken bridges
Überseeallee is in place, but can be used by public transport in case of flooding. Addi-tional flood-secure connections will be ensured with the two other bridges, Gross-marktbrücke and Freihafenelbbrücke, which both link up with Versmannstrasse.
Roads in HafenCity are planned in at an early stage but the realization of road sur-facing, pavements, cycling lanes or park-ing bays only takes place gradually and in close coordination with construction firms. This is why all roads initially get temporary surfaces. The final surface is then laid and finished after completion of the surrounding buildings, together with ancillary surfaces, cycling paths/strips and tree plantings.
Four road bridges connect HafenCity with the city center core. Am Sandtorkai/Brook-torkai, a street running east-west, serves as western HafenCity’s central northern access road link. From it, traffic fans out along several south-bound streets, but pri-marily Shanghaiallee and Osakaallee. The latter has a double role: it continues across Kornhausbrücke bridge and forms an extension of the so-called “Domplatz-
achse”. On a boulevard running from the newly laid out St. Annen square, across Kornhausbrücke and Domplatz, strollers can reach Jungfernstieg in ten minutes.
Traffic infrastructure in eastern Hafen-City, under development in the next few years, will also be excellent. The main artery, Versmannstrasse, will connect with a series of internal and external links. A new bridge in the east will con-nect Versmannstrasse via the wholesale market site to Amsinckstrasse, relieving HafenCity of much through traffic.
Another new bridge to be built, this time across western Baakenhafen harbor basin, will link the northern and southern
Above ground, the Kibbelstegbrücken bridges already connect the existing city center, Speicherstadt and HafenCity, crossing Am Sandtorkai street, which is not
flood-secure. The shell of HafenCity University subway station, some 16 meters underground, is ready and in the finishing stage
Subway stop
Rapid transit stop
Bus stop
Ferry
Jetty for launches
Bus line
Optional bus line
Subway trackRapid tansit track
54 55
HAFENCITY PROJECTS
With the reworking of the Masterplan, eastern
HafenCity begins to take shape – continuing the
success-story of the western neighborhoods right
through to the Elbbbrücken bridges
Revision of the Masterplan: Taking the HafenCity Concept FurtherWestern HafenCity has developed rapidly since approval of the Masterplan in 2000. The east is still an area in the planning phase, for which the Masterplan has now been developed further. Each of the three neighborhoods in the eastern section – whether creative, active, residential and business quarter, or metropolitan center – will have an individual profile
Yet another milestone in the develop-ment of HafenCity is in place: the
reworking of the Masterplan for the east-ern neighborhoods means that concep-tion of the new district through to its most easterly point has for the first time been fully thought through to the end.
It is true that leading-edge development of a European city, combining work, hous-ing, culture, tourism and leisure, has already been in progress on the River Elbe for the past ten years. It is also a fact that the published Masterplan dating from 2000 has proved a fine foundation for ongoing planning and realization. How-ever the three eastern neighborhoods, Oberhafen, Baakenhafen and Elbbrücken, had not been fully worked through in. The neighborhoods lacked recognizable indi-vidual identities and no specific plans had been conceived for their successful urban integration or the degree of density. Adjustments were also necessary to plans for Am Lohsepark neighborhood, which is to function as a green “zipper” linking cen-tral and eastern HafenCity.
Lastly, of course, surrounding conditions have also undergone changes during the past decade. Eastern HafenCity was previ-ously regarded as part of the suburban fringes of Hamburg, yet now – similar to western HafenCity and thanks partly to its new subway connections – it is very much a part of the new inner city core. Hamburg is making its “leap across the Elbe” right now. The Elbe islands to the south are com-ing up fast, given a boost by ambitious projects such as the international building exhibition (IBA) and the international gar-den show (igs).
In view of these new facts and challeng-es, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH has rede-fined the Masterplan, in cooperation with the Hamburg Ministry for Urban Develop-ment and Environment and the principal authors of the original Masterplan, Kees Christiaanse, with Markus Neppl.
The revision is based on very specific challenges. For instance, the eastern neighborhoods are not as spatially com-pact or as well integrated into the existing city as western and central HafenCity. The intersecting transport routes isolate them from the surrounding area as well as emit-ting traffic noise, with a corresponding potential reduction in quality.
The new urban development structure for the eastern neighborhoods is now closely related to conditions for their utili-zation. Each neighborhood will have its own focus: Baakenhafen as a place to live and for leisure, Oberhafen for creative and cultural uses, and Elbbrücken as a metro-politan location for business and housing.
Additional land area will be gained, for example, by partially narrowing Baaken-hafen harbor basin, which will lead both to more vegetation and to a second line of buildings in a location protected from noise. In place of the original target of around 1.5 million m2 of gross floor area (GFA) in the whole of HafenCity, the increased density now means that 2.32 million m2 GFA can be realized. The overall area of land increases from 123 to 126 hect-ares. In Baakenhafen, the floor space ratio is 3.4 (Dalmannkai, excluding the Elbphil-harmonie, is 3.8).
Now it is also possible to build housing in places in eastern HafenCity not hitherto considered very suitable. An additional 2,800 housing units can be created in Baak-enhafen and Elbbrücken, raising the total number of homes in HafenCity from 5,500 to 5,800, with an increased average size of 110 m2 GFA. The future supply of homes will feature more participation by joint building ventures as well as public funds for subsi-dized public rented housing. The number of potential jobs also rises markedly from
40,000 to well over 45,000. The new jobs will not be primarily in offices, but in lei-sure, retail, catering and hotels. Special uses such as an additional primary and second-ary school and child daycare facilities close to housing will also enhance HafenCity’s qualities as a place to live.
The leafy character of the new city dis-trict will be intensified. Squares, small and large, and interconnection between them will encourage urban spatial integration. Lohsepark, the “Central Park” of Hafen-
City, will be extended down to the River Elbe. In the south, an Elbe promenade may motivate people to stroll on to Enten-werder; an island for play and leisure is to be created in Baakenhafen harbor basin.
More generous landscaping of open spaces means that the total area of public unbuilt areas throughout HafenCity increases from 24 to 27 hectares (not counting private areas accessible to the public); the water shoreline extends from 10 to 10.5 kilometers in length.
The high standards of sustainability set in the western neighborhoods will actually be outdone by the east. This improvement is due to the 2009 commitment to sustain-able supply of heat from renewable energy sources as well as the planned high pro-portion of new buildings qualifying for the HafenCity gold Ecolabel. The extension of the U4 subway line at least as far as Elb-
brücken station is another important con-tribution to environmental quality.
Eastern HafenCity will have excellent transport infrastructure. The very quality of the new and existing road links, how-ever, will lead to heightened exposure to traffic noise in some places. For such loca-tions, intelligent urban planning and tech-nical concepts will therefore be applied.
Along Versmannstrasse – the main traf-fic artery – mixed use blocks, with their broad backs turned toward the road, will act as sound deflectors for residences. The semi-closed residential ensemble itself will also form inner courtyards, which will ensure sheltered neighborly coexistence. The first buildings in eastern HafenCity can be realized from 2012.
The reworking of the Masterplan was introduced and discussed from spring 2010 in a series of public presentations and dis-
cussions. In summary, the onward develop-ment of the Masterplan was very positively received, although there was some criticism. This centered on the topic of urban density, housing, social mix and traffic. The draft was given one more critical perusal and worked over again before being presented to the Hamburg Senate in spring 2011.
The great strength of the Masterplan is that it simply sets out the rudiments for neighborhood development – albeit cru-cial ones. In a large number of supple-mentary steps, these basic tenets (such as zoning and infrastructure plans, open space competitions, as well as urban plan-ning and architectural competitions) are then developed further and refined. It is an intensive dialog, on the basis of which new chapters in the success-story of the west-ern HafenCity neighborhoods will contin-ue to be written right up to Elbbrücken.
56 57
360grad + architekten: p. 26 center left
Miguel Ferraz Araújo: p. 33 bottom, p. 37 bottom
Daniel Barthmann: p. 43 top
Michael Behrendt / Überseequartier Beteiligungs GmbH: p. 23 bottom left, bottom center & bot-tom right BGP Architekten, Illustration: Raumgleiter: p. 27 top Code Unique: p. 25 bottom
Markus Dorfmüller: p. 29 bottom left
Denkmalschutzamt: p. 29 center
Christian Eisenberg: p. 48
Bina Engel: flap exterior, p. 43 center right
Fotofrizz: p. 36 bottom
PICTURES BY
Gärtner & Christ: p. 41 top
Christoph Gebler:p. 47 center right
Hafen City Hamburg GmbH: p. 28 bottom, p. 51 top, p. 52 center, p. 51 bottom, p. 54 bottom
HafenCity Hamburg GmbH / Astoc Architects & Planners: p. 56/57
Thomas Hampel/ELBE & FLUT: cover all, p. 4 bottom left & bottom right, p.5 all, p. 6 bottom left, bottom center & bottom right, p. 7 bottom left, bottom center & bottom right, p. 8/9, p. 10/11 all, p. 12/13 all, p. 14/15 all, p. 16/17 all, p. 18 bot-tom left & bottom right, p. 19, p. 21, p. 22 top, p. 23 top left & top right, p. 24 top, p. 25 top, p. 29 top & bottom right, p. 31 top left & top right, p. 33 top, p. 34 bottom left, p. 35 all, p. 38/39 all, p. 40 all, p. 41 bottom left, p. 42 all, p. 43 center left & bottom, p. 44/45/46 all, p. 47 center left, p. 49 top left & top right, p. 52 bottom, p.53, p.55 all
Huke-Schubert Berge Architekten (draft) / on3studio (visualization):p. 26 center right Christina Körte: p. 37 top
Michael Korol: flap interior, p. 6 top, p. 18 top, p. 22 bottom, p. 24 bottom, p. 28 top, p. 32 top, p. 34 bottom right, p. 36 top
