Quarters

Überseequartier – a New Segment of City Emerges

The heart of HafenCity is Überseequartier. The first shops in northern Überseeboulevard have opened but the south is still a huge building site

Since fall 2007, construction has been in progress in the north part of the quarter; many buildings are finished. The area's only historic building is the listed former port authority building, Altes Hafenamt. After completion of the shell of the Überseequartier subway station, development of the neighborhood began to push south in October 2010 (© ELBE&FLUT) Start slideshow

Überseequartier is shaping up into the future “city” in HafenCity. This urban space, covering around 13.7 hectares, will be home to around 1,000 people and the workplace of up to 7,000. A daily flow of some 40–50,000 visitors will enjoy impressive sights such as the Cruise Terminal and possibly the Science Center, or stroll through the many shops, galleries and eateries. It is a particularly sophisticated mix of commercial uses that is being realized successively north to south.  The whole quarter should be virtually completed in 2015.

The northern part of the boulevard, the most densely built space in HafenCity so far, with a GFA index of more than 5.0, is largely finished. It was opened with a street party in October 2010.

The first pioneer residents have been moving into the around 340 completed rental apartments (classical housing forms, duplex apartments, integrated townhouses) since fall 2010. Retailers and catering businesses, like banks and the first fresh food market, provide for everyday needs. Temporary users include galleries and fashion designers. The 25hours Hotel Company opened its 170-room hotel with a design that reflects maritime and port themes in guest and public rooms.

Across from the hotel (34/7) on Überseeallee, the shell of the subway stop for the new U4 line was completed in October 2010. In spring 2011 this was also where construction work began on southern Überseequartier. While in the northern part of the neighborhood apartments, offices and small-scale retailers were realized, in the south, buildings are growing skywards offering office units and retail concepts on a large scale. No homes will be built in the southern section because of emissions from the nearby cruise ship terminal.

Shopping under the open sky

The retailers of the quarter will be clustered in 16 free-standing buildings instead of being located in a closed shopping mall, giving visitors the benefit of shopping in an urban atmosphere near the waterfront.

The rich variety of open spaces in Überseequartier complements the enormous mix of uses: sometimes they invite one to stroll, sometimes to sit down and relax; sometimes they open out into a generously proportioned boulevard, square or terrace, then again they also offer sheltered spaces, particularly for local residents. The design of the neighborhood’s open space by Beth Galí and her firm BB + GG Arquitectes used overlapping longitudinal and horizontally striped flooring of brown, grey and reddish granite. Throughout the area, the open space architect plays with variable ground levels, using ramps, steps or terraces to link them.

Überseeboulevard is the midpoint of the quarter. It meanders like a river, from the Speicherstadt down to the River Elbe. Curving pathways and façades add variety along the 750m urban space, which opens out into plazas in some places. Thus the neighborhood evolves, step by step, presenting itself all of a piece, yet always providing surprising new perspectives. The architecture of the individual buildings is also impressive. The controversial Sumatra Building, designed by Erick van Egeraat (34/6) with its dramatically slanted façade, is an eye-catcher, while the contrast with the former harbor master’s office (Altes Hafenamt 34/5) opposite makes an exciting counterpoint.

The Altes Hafenamt, built in 1885/86 and the last remaining brick-built building in this area, should become a gastronomic focus in HafenCity. The interior of the listed building is foreseen for catering, while market stalls outside offer their wares initially on Überseeboulevard; when renovation works on the old building are finished, they will transfer from 2014 to surrounding open spaces. The renovation and the slim residential tower extension (construction will begin shortly) are being planned by Bolles + Wilson architects. They were also responsible for the information pavilion on the same site. Since 2008, its models and multimedia exhibits have been keeping visitors up to date with progress on the development of Überseequartier.

Jungfernstieg just a few minutes away

Further south, Überseeboulevard leads on to the area’s three most important points of attraction – which are architectural highlights, too. The convincing design of the Waterfront Towers (34/13) by EEA architects for the Elbe front of Überseequartier consists of two stand-alone towers, which clearly mark the southern limit of the urban ensemble, framed by the imposing “Big Ring”  (34/12) designed by Rem Koolhaas, as well as the new Cruise Terminal (34/14), where construction is likely to start in 2013.

Direct connection to the present city center by public bus will be supplemented from fall 2012 by the new U4 subway line. The journey from Jungfernstieg will take just three minutes. But even pedestrians only need ten minutes at most to reach Überseequartier on a newly laid out boulevard from Jungfernstieg or the Town Hall via Domplatz and Dar es Salaam square. Since mid-June 2011, when the areas of promenade and plaza beside Magdeburger Hafen harbor basin (opposite northern Überseequartier) were opened with a big street party, the “Domplatz” axis has brought the Inner Alster and the Elbe even closer together.  And car-drivers have not been forgotten: underneath the whole of pedestrianized Überseequartier is Germany’s largest parking garage to date with around 3,400 spaces, of which 1,200 are ready.

Responsibility in one hand

Development of central Überseequar-tier began in 2003 with a two-tier international investor competition which concluded with the sale of the site in December 2005 to a Dutch-German consortium (consisting of ING Real Estate, SNS Property Finance and Groß + Partner Grundstücksentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH). Internationally renowned architects created an overall planning concept for the area on the basis of an urban Masterplan (Trojan Trojan + Partner). Just two years later, in the fall of 2007, construction work began on northern Überseequartier. Thus the majority of Überseequartier is the responsibility of one body. In the northern section there are two exceptions (plots 34/15 and 34/16) which were put out to tender for residential construction in 2010. Around 230 housing units will be built here and hopefully also cultural uses such as a theater or movie house.

The quarter management company was already at work during the final phase of northern Überseequartier; it covers a variety of responsibilities on behalf of all tenants and proprietors of individual buildings. It undertakes many tasks on their behalf, e.g. street festivals, maintenance of the urban environment and security. This reinforces the public character of Überseequartier, making 24-hour access viable. Although traffic areas between buildings are also privately owned, provisions in purchase contracts and land registration documentation guarantee that Überseequartier is used in the same way as public streets and squares. This means that demonstrations or busking are possible, for instance, and that information stands can be erected.

It still requires imagination to picture the Überseeequartier of the future, since realization was slowed down by the financial recession. Thus the northern section has not yet been extended to the Elbe and the subway station is not yet finished, both of which will eventually vitalize the neighborhood a lot more.