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) Start slideshow
Development from west to east
HafenCity is being developed from west to east and from north to south – 51 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: January 2013). Western neighborhoods are already pulsing with life. They are already well established as residential or work locations: almost 1,400 living spaces have been completed. Around 450 companies have already located in HafenCity. The 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 as the first completed neighborhood in HafenCity, apart from the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall. This new icon designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron is growing skywards on top of historic Kaispeicher A. Now, after some delay, the new Hamburg landmark,
providing two concert auditoria, a five-star hotel and around 45 apartments will be completed in 2016.
Next door, the second large neighborhood, Am Sandtorpark/Grasbrook, followed 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 the 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 realized directly bordering the River Elbe. The 400 or so apartments planned for the tip of the quay will be built in 2014.
Urban spaces around Magdeburger Hafen take center stage
Überseequartier, the heart of HafenCity, covering an area of 13.7 hectares, already reveals impressive metropolitan character. Its development grows Hamburg city center right down to the River Elbe. The north of the neighborhood is already home to 500 residents, whilst shops and services along the Boulevard long since opened for business and the first hotel in HafenCity has been accommodating guests since 2011. In the south of the neighborhood, the new U4 subway started regular services to Überseequartier station in December 2012. It links HafenCity directly to Jungfernstieg subway station and the Central Railroad Station. This area, in addition to the Cruise Terminal and the two “Waterhouses”, will also include additional buildings planned for retail and office uses. When construction recommences, this neighborhood should be more or less completed in 2016.In Elbtorquartier, the “knowledge quarter” of the future, on the eastern side of Magdeburger Hafen basin, the International Maritime Museum Hamburg opened in the historic port warehouse Kaispeicher B back in 2008. A little to the south towards the Elbe, the new HafenCity University (HCU) building will be ready by the end of 2013. The “Elbarkaden”, an ensemble housing the new German Greenpeace headquarters, designport hamburg and a residential block, will be finished in mid-2013. Other innovative projects such as the Ecumenical Forum, are completed already or under construction, including the musicians’ house and the Stadthaushotel, an inclusive hotel run by disabled people.
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 are only 900m apart and the distance is quickly covered.
The Am Lohsepark neighborhoodmarks the transition to the eastern section of HafenCity. The first residential building projects there got under way in 2012, as did work on Lohsepark, the central HafenCity park, functioning as a “green link” between Brooktorhafen and the Elbe. In the same year, development also successfully kicked off in the three eastern neighborhoods of Baakenhafen, Oberhafen and Elbbrücken. The first sections of Lohsepark will be finished in 2013/14.
