The city of Hamburg, situated on the banks of the river Elbe, has a population of about 1.8 million and faces numerous metropolitan challenges. However. Germany’s second largest city combines comprehensive approaches, policy commitment and the necessary funding needed to resolve these challenges. On the whole, it has an integrated and participative planning strategy and a strong commitment towards a “green” vision.

GREEN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
The city and more than 1000 active business partners have joined forces in a green alliance for environmental protection. The twelve biggest companies will reduce the CO2 emissions with 500.000 tons by 2012.

MASSIVE ENERGY SAVINGS
It should be mentioned that Hamburg has set ambitious climate protection goals such as reducing its CO2 emissions by 40% by 2020 and by 80% by the year 2050. CO2 emissions per person have been reduced by about 15% when compared to 1990, with annual energy savings of some 46,000 MWh, a major achievement for a big city. Energy networks will be put under city administration, and district heating will be provided for 490.000 households.

GREEN PORT
The Port of Hamburg on the river Elbe is Europe’s second largest in terms of number of containers handled. With a growing number of containers entering and leaving the port, expansion is a continuously discussed issue. However, geographical expansion into the surrounding area is, intentionally, just not pursued. Instead, the increasing need for greater capacity is met by making more efficient use of allocated land and by generating new areas through filling-up expendable harbour basins.

The Hamburg Dock Railway will become the largest hub for freight transportation by rail, and container taxi vessels in the port will replace container-handling trucks. One taxi alone replaces 60 trucks. Hamburg will also support green shipping by reducing port fees for environmentally friendly ships.

EXCELLENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The city has also achieved high environmental standards and good performance levels in terms of cycling and public transport indicators. Almost all citizens have access to optimal public transport within 300 meters of their given location. There is also a systematic structure for green areas which allow citizens easy accessibility. New suburban and underground train lines, including lines to the port and airport, will be constructed, and there will be a new network of cycle paths.

The City of Hamburg plans to launch a “train of ideas” whereby interested cities within the European Green Capital Award network ‘own’ a wagon and promote their respective green ideas, achievements and future plans. The train will then travel around Europe spreading experience and best practice in an innovative way.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/green_cities.html

http://www.hamburg.de/bsu/1241328/green-capital-en.html

Posted by: a-tour.de

The HafenCity continues to expand from west to east and from north to south. The biggest inner city building site at this time is situated on the 7.9 hectare site that will become Überseequartier. Work at the southern half will commence in 2009, and its northern half will be realised by the summer of 2010.

PRIMARY SCHOOL AT SANDTORPARK
Next to Überseequartier the primary school Am Sandtorpark / Grasbrook by Spengler Wiescholek architects was inaugurated on September 11th. The 5 storeys high structure overlooks the Sandtorpark on the northern side. The 2 storey high recessed multi-purpose hall is situated on the ground floor, together with the Cafeteria and the adjacent kitchen. The natural illumination and ventilation of the internal schoolrooms has been assured through an open, central areaway.

The schoolyard can be found on the rooftop and was constructed as an open courtyard with a tendriled safety fence and a canopy that makes an utilisation even in the rain possible.

The building received the “Umweltpreis” (price for environmental care) in Gold from the HafenCity GmbH for its outstanding environmental qualities.

Posted by:  a-tour

Network-member a-tour from Hamburg offers two open excursions to Amsterdam and Hamburg in May and June.

The trip to the Netherlands takes place from 5 to 7 June and includes 1 full day and 2 half days of guided tours in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam, organized by local network member architour. On the programme are the university campus of Utrecht, housing blocks by MVRDV in Amsterdam-West, the IJ-front of Amsterdam and the inner city of Rotterdam, including Museumpark and Kop van Zuid.

The excursion to Copenhagen will take place from 8 to 10 May and includes 1 full day and 1 half day of guided tours, organized by local network member Scaledenmark. Part of the programme are Amager beach, Holmsbladgade culture house by Dorthe Mandrup, student housing and housing blocks in Ørestad by a.o. Plot, BIG and MVRDV, the opera house and Amerikaplads masterplan by West 8.

Coach transfer from Hamburg is offered for both tours.

For more information about the tours, please contact a-tour: mail@a-tour.de

Photos: Office building Kraanspoor in Amsterdam by OTH Architects (top) and Prism House for Sports and Culture in Copenhagen by Dorthe Mandrup in Copenhagen (bottom).

Posted by: a-tour

Every three years, the city of Hamburg hosts the architecture event Hamburger Architektur Sommer. In 2006, young architects Torsten Stern, Marco Pawlik, Stephen Perry, Stefan Schrick and Ulrich Hahnefeld contributed the Architekturbox (see image on the left), an information and communication centre for the event. Located next to the Binnenalster, opposite Jungfernstieg and nearby the Kunsthalle and main station, thus in the heart of the city, the Architekturbox, which was based on a private intiative of the architects, turned out to be the main contact point for all visitors over the summer months.

Three years on, Hamburger Architektur Sommer will take place again – but it will be boxless. For 2009, the architects had designed a new information centre (see image below), based on their experiences from 2006.

This time, the Architekturbox was to be realised next to the city hall. Unfortunately, the city has recently withdrawn the assigned plot without suggesting any alternatives. It looks like the Architektur Sommer will have to make do without a central meeting point for visitors this year – and hope to succeed in realising an Architekturbox again for the 2012 edition.

Posted by: a-tour

Hamburg gets a new cultural and architectural landmark: in December 2003 the decision was made to build a second city concert hall on top of Kaispeicher A.

Classical music, modern 21st century and high quality entertainment will find a new home here. Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron presented a spectacular design for the refurbishment of Kaispeicher A. This old warehouse building, designed and built by Werner Kallmorgen between 1963 and 1966, will be re-invented and used as a parking garage, maintaining its prominent block form and characteristic façades.

The concert halls for 2,500 visitors and the envisaged additional uses like hotel, luxury apartments and wellness areas will be placed in a spectacular sweeping construction, a tent-like structure placed on top of Kaispeicher. The building’s former harbour use and its new cultural identity will merge into a new unique whole. Escalators will take the visitors through the warehouse base onto a large public plaza with high domed spaces. Restaurants, bars, a main foyer and a hotel lobby will offer sweeping views over the river Elbe and the city. From the plaza, the visitors can reach the concert halls located in the core of the building. Hotel, flats, wellness areas and conference rooms will be grouped around the concert halls and have separate entrance areas.

Work began with the laying of the foundation stone on 2nd April 2007. After the gutting of the old cocoa warehouse, 500 additional piles had to be sunk. The historic building was already resting on 1,111 concrete piles, driven into the mud of the river Elbe, but these would not have been able to hold the weight of the new superstructure.

The Elbphilharmonie concert hall couldn’t be realized without the involvement of the citizens of Hamburg, with sponsorships already amounting to 68 million euros. The new concert hall on  Kaispeicher A will send out a distinct message. It strengthens the international reputation of HafenCity and will position Hamburg as a cultural metropolis to be reckoned with in competition with other European cities.

Posted by: a-tour