HafenCity Project

State of development

HafenCity is being developed from west to east and from north to south. The area currently under construction, including any completed sections, now extends 1.1 km in length, from the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall at the tip of Dalmannkai in the west to the Spiegel group building at Ericusspitze. In breadth, HafenCity begins at the Speicherstadt and runs down to the banks of the Elbe

A new part of the city comes to life: more than 1,500 people already live in HafenCity and around 6,000 people work here (© ELBE&FLUT)

Development from west to east

HafenCity is being developed from west to east and from north to south. Forty-seven projects are completed and another 35 under construction or in the planning stage; deals on around 1 million sqm GFA have either been completed through sale of land or exclusive options (status: August 2011).

Western neighborhoods are already pulsing with life. They are already well-established as residential or work locations: 1,700 people live here, with 8,400 employed in 300-plus businesses. HafenCity’s largest office users are Germanischer Lloyd, in situ since spring 2010 with around 1,600 staff in its new head office in Brooktorkai/Ericus and, since fall 2011, the Spiegel group on Ericusspitze.

In 2009, Am Sandtorkai/Dalmannkai led the way in HafenCity as the first completed neighborhood, with the exeption of the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall. The new icon designed by Herzog & de Meuron is still growing skywards on historic Kaispeicher A. This new Hamburg landmark will be ready in 2014, providing two concert auditoria, a five-star hotel, around 45 apartments and parking and service amenities.

Next door, the second large neighborhood, Am Sandtorpark/Grasbrook, was all but completed at the beginning of 2011. A primary school with nursery and kindergarten offering all-day supervision opened in 2009; many families have settled in its proximity. The third neighborhood, Brooktorkai/Ericus with its two major users, Germanischer Lloyd and Spiegel group was completed in fall 2011. The first building ensemble in Strandkai quarter, consisting of Unilever’s headquarters and the Marco Polo residential tower, has already reaped architectural awards. The neighborhood’s Elbe Terraces and promenade were the first open spaces directly bordering the River Elbe. The 400 or so apartments planned for the tip of the quay will be built in 2013.

Urban spaces around Magdeburger Hafen take center stage

The impressive metropolitan character of Überseequartier, the commercial heart of HafenCity covering 13.7 hectares, is already apparent. In the northern section the first residents have moved in; since then shops and services, as well as a large supermarket for everyday needs have opened along the boulevard. The first hotel in HafenCity is also already welcoming guests to the area. Work on southern Überseequartier began in spring 2011. The shell of Überseequartier subway station had to be completed first.

Elbtorquartier, in eastern Magdeburger Hafen harbor, the future “knowledge quarter”, includes the International Maritime Museum Hamburg, open to visitors in Kaispeicher B, a historic warehouse, since 2008. Nearby, HafenCity University is taking shape and will be ready by summer 2013. The “Elbe Arcades” – consisting of the new Greenpeace HQ, designport hamburg, as well as apartments – will also be finished in 2013. Other openings scheduled for 2012/13 will include innovative projects such as the Ecumenical Forum, the musicians’ house and the integrative Stadthaushotel.

The starting signal for use of HafenCity’s public center was the inauguration of the open spaces around Magdeburger Hafen in June 2011. The result is an ensemble of promenades and squares through which HafenCity and the existing city center are growing together. On foot via the central “Domplatz” axis, the Inner Alster and harbor basins are only 900m apart.

Transition to the eastern part of HafenCity is through Am Lohsepark neighborhood, where residential construction will begin in 2012. The same year will see successive development of all three eastern neighborhoods – Baakenhafen, Oberhafen and Elbbrücken. Construction of the large HafenCity “central park”, Lohsepark, which will act as a green “hinge“ between western and eastern HafenCity, can begin from 2013.