Quarters

Fine-grained and Alive: HafenCity's First Neighborhood

Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai in northwest HafenCity was the first quarter to be completed

The Traditional Ship Harbor in Sandtorhafen harbor forms the heart of the Am Sandtorkai / Dalmannkai urban ensemble. A sport boat marina is planned to the south of the quarter in Grasbrookhafen basin, which is currently being remodeled (© ELBE&FLUT)

The coexistence of urbanity with vil­lage-like life on the waterfront is what gives this neighborhood its real charm. Within the space of just six years, there­fore, the Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai neighborhood was the first quarter in HafenCity to be completed, in spring 2009. Sandtorhafen harbor basin is the neighborhood’s core, with the pontoons of the Traditional Ship Harbor providing a floating plaza with moorings for up to 30 vessels.

To the north of the harbor is Sandtorkai with the listed Speicherstadt on its other side. To the south is the Dalmannkai promontory and Grasbrookhafen harbor.

The views from the eight buildings on Sandtorkai and the 15 buildings on Dal­mannkai encompass the city center, as well as the River Elbe.

Open, multidimensional topography

The urban spaces extend over two lev­els. While all buildings and roads are built on artificially raised, flood-protect­ed bases, around 8m above sea level, embankment promenades remain at 4 to 5.5m above sea level. The difference in height is particularly noticeable to the north of Sandtorkai. There unusually, in consideration of the adjacent Speicher­stadt, the road (Am Sandtorkai) lies at a low level, and the new basement found­ations on the other side resemble a wall.

The Traditional Ship Harbor pontoons provide a third level of urban perception which rises and falls with the tide twice daily by more than 3m. A further level still – the fourth – is emerging on Dal­mannkai point in the shape of the Elb­philharmonie Concert Hall: its publicly accessible plaza, at a height of 37m, has spectacular views of HafenCity and the Elbe. Until its completion in 2016, the Elb­philharmonie will be the neighborhood’s only building still under construction.

Multidimensional topography contin­ues on the Magellan and Marco Polo Ter­races, the largest squares in the locality and in the whole of HafenCity: like an amphitheater, the 5,600 sqm of the Magellan Terraces descend in a series of steps to the water. The 7,800 sqm Marco Polo Terraces with their grass islands and wooden decking invite passersby to take a break under the trees. Vasco da Gama Plaza, the smaller third square, is a neigh­borhood square with a basketball court.

Almost all other plazas and prome­nades in this neighborhood – and the whole western end of HafenCity – were planned by EMBT of Barcelona. Basements and promenades 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. The cityscape itself reflects the variety in the quarter: on Dalmannkai alone, 15 buildings were realized by 27 developers and 26 firms of architects, creating adequate diversity.

Neighborhood profile

• Area 10.9 hectares
  Total GFA: 261,000 sqm

• Jobs and commercial uses
  Jobs: approx. 2,000
  Uses: corporate, offices, retail, gastronomy

• Homes
  746 (excl. Elbphilharmonie)

• Special institutions
  Elbphilharmonie
  Traditional Ship Harbor

• Development timeframe
  2003 - 2009