One district, ten neighborhoods
Ten sometimes very differing quarters make up HafenCity; each has its own individual profile - and brings new qualities to Hamburg’s city center
In the north, directly adjacent to the Speicherstadt and city center, one coherent urban ensemble is completed, development of many sites nearer the river to the south is still on the drawing board (© ELBE&FLUT)
An all-embracing urban planning idea lies at the heart of HafenCity, so that even the uninitiated are able to recognize it immediately as a coherent urban ensemble. Almost all buildings in the new quarter stand on flood-protected plinths; throughout HafenCity the height structure is consistent, as are requirements respecting architectural quality, the urban landscape and sustainability.
Nevertheless, the new district is not emerging as a formal unit. Its planning principles dictate a varied mix of different uses, urban topologies and architectures. For this reason, too, it is made up of ten different neighborhoods: each has a recognizable identity of its own, even if they consist almost wholly or wholly of new architecture.
Subdivision into neighborhoods was already laid down in the Masterplan; in some cases the allotment or layout of space was altered and adapted later in line with changes in planning. Often the layout of the ten neighborhoods arose from the topography of the project area: canals, harbor basins or the River Elbe form the borders of neighborhoods; in other cases roads or the adjacent Speicherstadt also perform that function. The character of some neighborhoods is strongly influenced by the typical port atmosphere created by maritime features, and their structure remains predetermined by their historic uses, despite modern building development. The inherent typology of individual buildings varies starkly depending on the possibilities of building on predefined tongues of land, the distance from the Speicherstadt historic ensemble or the type of uses involved. This has given rise to building typologies varying between neighborhoods: from 3,500-4,500 sq. m in Sandtorkai to 30-40,000 sq. m in large buildings in Überseequartier, referencing the tradition of the Kontorhausviertel, where once merchants traded.
Transitions from one neighborhood to the next are seamless and fluent. Many architectural references underpin the transition, with open space planning acting as a crucial thematic thread: as a rule, competitions to design public open urban spaces embrace larger areas including several neighborhoods. Thus, for example, Spanish architects EMBT Arquitectes Associats designed urban spaces for the western quarters Am Sandtorkai, Dalmannkai, Am Sandtorpark and Strandkai, whilst another Spanish firm, BB + GG arquitectes, was responsible for planning open space in Überseequartier and Elbtorquartier.
On the whole the neighborhoods differ internally from each other in terms of use, although - despite different focuses - a mix of uses is always the case. This means that no neighborhood in HafenCity is solely devoted to homes, offices, shops or leisure.
The realization of a variety of neighborhoods within the new district also makes sense for another reason: this makes it possible for HafenCity to develop step by step - in line with market demand - over a period of more than two decades. Nevertheless, coherent and functioning urban entities are being completed relatively early on. The whole development started out in the north and west, in other words at the interface with the existing city center; now it is proceeding towards the south and east.
The first neighborhood, Sandtorkai / Dalmannkai, in the northwest of HafenCity is already finished. It is arranged around Sandtorhafen, the Traditional Ship Harbor, and is characterized by fine-grained residential and business use. Like all the other neighborhoods, ground floor space is enlivened by shops, cafés, restaurants and bars (except Sandtorkai Warft, a flood-protected mound, where it is not feasible). The only building still under construction here is the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall, which will be ready in 2012.
