Master Plan
Revision of the Masterplan: Taking the HafenCity Concept Further
Western 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
The future district will be made up of western, central and eastern sections, divided up into ten neighborhoods (© M. Korol / HafenCity Hamburg GmbH) Start slideshow
Yet another milestone in the development of HafenCity is in place: the reworking of the Masterplan for the eastern neighborhoods means that conception 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, housing, 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. However the three eastern neighborhoods, Oberhafen, Baakenhafen and Elbbrücken, had not been fully worked through in. The neighborhoods lacked recognizable individual 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 central and eastern HafenCity.
Lastly, of course, surrounding conditions have also undergone changes during the past decade. Eastern HafenCity was previously 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 coming up fast, given a boost by ambitious projects such as the international building exhibition (IBA) and the international garden show (igs).
In view of these new facts and challenges, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH has redefined the Masterplan, in cooperation with the Hamburg Ministry for Urban Development 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 compact 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 emitting 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 utilization. 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 metropolitan location for business and housing.
Additional land area will be gained, for example, by partially narrowing Baakenhafen 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 sq. m of gross floor area (GFA) in the whole of HafenCity, the increased density now means that 2.32 million sq. m GFA can be realized. The overall area of land increases from 123 to 126 hectares. In Baakenhafen, the floor space ratio is 3.4 (Dalmannkai, excluding the Elbphilharmonie, 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 Baakenhafen and Elbbrücken, raising the total number of homes in HafenCity from 5,500 to 5,800, with an increased average size of 110 sq. m GFA. The future supply of homes will feature more participation by joint building ventures as well as public funds for subsidized 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 leisure, retail, catering and hotels. Special uses such as an additional primary and secondary 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 district will be intensified. Squares, small and large, and interconnection between them will encourage urban spatial integration. Lohsepark, the "Central Park" of HafenCity, will be extended down to the River Elbe. In the south, an Elbe promenade may motivate people to stroll on to Entenwerder; 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 sustainable supply of heat from renewable energy sources as well as the planned high proportion of new buildings qualifying for the HafenCity gold Ecolabel. The extension of the U4 subway line at least as far as Elbbrücken station is another important contribution to environmental quality.
Eastern HafenCity will have excellent transport infrastructure. The very quality of the new and existing road links, however, will lead to heightened exposure to traffic noise in some places. For such locations, intelligent urban planning and technical concepts will therefore be applied.
Along Versmannstrasse – the main traffic 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 discussions. In summary, the onward development 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 crucial 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 planning 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 western HafenCity neighborhoods will continue to be written right up to Elbbrücken.
