Hambourg HafenCity
HafenCity Hamburg 2012: In full swing!
HafenCity covers an area of 157 hectares, making it one of the most prominent inner-city waterfront development projects in the world. Based on a new concept for urban living, it will increase the size of Hamburg City by 40 percent (Hamburg has a population of approx. 1.78 million, the Hamburg Metropolitan Region 4.3 million). Between the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district and the River Elbe a new city with a cosmopolitan mix of homes, service businesses, culture, leisure, tourism and commerce is emerging. Structures typical of a port will be retained. The development is being managed by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, a 100-per cent subsidiary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The time-frame for development of the entire area extends to circa 2025. HafenCity is already rated as the model project for international waterfront and “new downtown” development.
HafenCity is experiencing an extraordinary dynamism, as indicated by major lease deals and intense demand for sites, as well as the arrival of large concerns such as the Spiegel group. At the same time, the amount of vacant office space has contracted strongly. Both 2010 and 2011 were also years in which the conditions essential to HafenCity’s long-term, successful development were put in place: HafenCity, the Speicherstadt and the existing city center are finally spatially linked together after construction of the three northern neighborhoods was completed (just one site development still outstanding). Then, as soon as passengers start using the U4 subway in fall 2012, with its excellent connections to the Hamburg public transport system, this linkage will be reinforced. In short: after a good ten years of development, an integrated city area is up and running. Important measures for the future of eastern HafenCity were also finalized in 2011: the reworking of the Masterplan was approved and the planning and design concept for what will be the largest HafenCity neighborhood development so far, Baakenhafen, was defined. A range of infrastructural projects in 2012 and 2013 will pave the way for the new locations in the eastern part of HafenCity. Planning, which also includes extending the U4 subway to the Elbe bridges, is already well under way. Demand in HafenCity is developing strongly. In terms of residential building, well over 1,200 housing units are currently out to tender, under option, planned or already built. There is also an unmistakable upswing in commercial projects: several large corporations are planning to build premises on their own sites. With two tower blocks in southern Überseequartier and another in the neighboring Intelligent Quarters ensemble (at an advanced stage of planning), HafenCity has some outstanding waterfront accommodation to offer to discerning businesses. Several key projects are also under construction: HafenCity University, the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, the Elbe arcades (Elbarkaden) development and soon also southern Überseequartier. But HafenCity is not just developing in quantitative terms. Its recipe for success is based on a high expectation of quality and its actual realization in architecture and far beyond. Jürgen Bruns-Berentelg, chief executive of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, therefore regards the dynamism of this growth as clear evidence of the high level of development already attained in HafenCity: “The high degree of urbanity and vitality, differentiated interlinking of public spaces and high sustainability standards for infrastructure and buildings are attracting both people and businesses. HafenCity’s 1,800 residents and around 8,500 local employees in a good 300 businesses, as well as tens of thousands visitors every year are making it an urban place.”
HafenCity pictures by HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
