Hamburg „Harburger Binnenhafen“

Context

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Harburg inland port is situated north of the town centre of Harburg and bordered by the Süderelbe River and two railway lines. The northern and western sections are used for commercial/industrial purposes and port operations. The rest of the site still features historic buildings in parts, which are being redeveloped and dedicated to new uses.

In the wake of structural economic changes affecting all harbour operations, Harburg inland port lost out against the much larger Hamburg harbour early on. Given this background, the revitalization approach is aimed at developing a district featuring a unique urban identity within the inland port, whilst preserving and further developing various functional and architectural structures.

The structural shift has triggered changes facilitating new forms of coexistence for port operations, industry, service and research jobs as well as housing and recreational uses. Harburg inland port is thus furnished with a new charisma and new locational qualities.

Between 1989 and 1993, the project was funded and evaluated as a model project within the research field “Urban Planning and the Economy” (Städtebau und Wirtschaft) which is an element of the federal research programme “Experimental Housing and Urban Development (EXHUD)” (Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau).

Project description

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Including water areas, the project site measures 165 ha and is distinguished by a central transport location. The development of the port operations as well as business and industrial sites which had remained active in parts of Harburg inland port was supported by the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg (TU-HH) locating some of its institutes here. The site also features residential uses, sport boat mooring points and shipyards, as well as green spaces. As early as 1990, Hamburg council had already initiated a development plan for Harburg inland port aimed at building up existing use potentials and enhancing the historic, ecological, topographic and urban design qualities, as well as the TU location.

The first stage of the development plan was elaborated until 1993. This plan was subsequently concretized in a second stage applying a detailed urban planning concept. Individual measures put into motion in various locations on the site were based on this concept. They included the conversion of former factory buildings into office buildings, for example. From 1998, diverse new buildings followed, as did the conversion and restoration of silos and storehouses. Numerous historic buildings were restored comprehensively. Road spaces were redesigned to reduce through traffic.

Between 2001 and 2003, an important impulse project was created in the shape of the so-called „Channel Tower“. Another important development potential is located on both sides of the eastern train station canal featuring approximately 14 ha of former railway sites. A master plan for offices, services and research as well as 150 residential units was drawn up for this section in the year 2000. Based on an urban design expert report, 77 apartments are scheduled for construction along the department store canal. The old industry canal is furthermore to be opened up to the public. All in all, the preservation of important industrial architecture and the old railway halls is a key aim of the outline plan and represents an important location quality for the district.

The inland port development has meanwhile gained much greater momentum than it had achieved in the mid-90s. It has turned into a lively urban district featuring a mixture of old and new buildings as well as traditional and novel uses. The proximity to the TU-HH ensured that numerous technically or scientifically oriented companies could be established in the area, including 10 technology companies. At the time of writing, the CHANNEL network comprises approximately 150 ventures with a sum total of nearly 5000 employees. These include big conglomerates as well as small high-tech and telecommunication businesses, but also large media companies and international engineering service providers.

In autumn 2005, the Hamburg senate released Harburg Palace Island (Schlossinsel) from the sovereignty of the Hamburg Port Authority. This cleared the way for using the area as a residential quarter. The range of uses is supplemented by green and open spaces, catering amenities, retail and leisure uses. The new mixture changes the public perception of the inland port and results in an image boost. The contribution made by an interdisciplinary study group in the planning and mediation process proved to be particularly positive in this context. Diverse study groups exist on various administrative levels. In addition, project developers, investors, the TU-HH, politicians and expert authorities were involved in workshops and an advisory group.

Project chronology

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Year	Event
1978	The establishment of the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg provides initial impulses for young firms to settle in the traditional industrial location
1990	Foundation of the microelectronic application centre MAZ, today: TuTech Innovation GmbH
1990 to 1993	Inclusion in the EXHUD research field “Urban Development and the Economy””
1992	Urban design outline plan (1st stage), economic potential analysis, start of real estate development
1993	Preservation statute (building code art. 172)
1995	Outline plan (2nd stage)
1998	Construction of the “Channel 1” building
1999	Conversion of the “ision” building
2000	Foundation of the private association “channel harburg e. V.” to represent the interests of local firms
2002	Inauguration of the "Channel Tower"
2003	Conversion and partial augmentation of the “Quay Warehouse Harburg” for offices and catering
2004	Partial conversion of the quay warehouse at “Veritaskai 1” into an office building with catering
2004	Partial conversion of the silo at “Schellerdamm 16” into an office building with catering
2005	Harburg Palace Island is released from the sovereignty of Hamburg Port Authority for urban design renewal, including adjoining areas of Harburg inland port (33 ha)

Aims

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• Preservation of historic industrial architecture
• Integration of water as a design element
• Urban design link to Harburg town centre and the station
• Wasteland revitalization
• Functional mixture of a new type

Types of measures

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• Economic potential analysis
• Urban design expert opinion and competition
• Urban design outline plan
• Preservation statute (building code art. 172)
• Legally binding land-use plans
• Interdepartmental study commissions
• Workshops
• Preservation and reconstruction of historic buildings
• Conversion and commercial use of vacant industrial buildings
• Supplementary new construction
• Business relocation and settlement of new firms

Innovations

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The consistent, internally coordinated strategy pursued by the council in the revitalization of urban wastelands has proven its viability over a long period of time and demonstrably contributed to preventing “building activities on green land”.

The project is distinguished by extensive and innovative cooperation procedures in the planning and realization. The envisaged aim of creating a lively urban district featuring a new mixture of housing, research and professional qualification, service and office uses, work and leisure is increasingly becoming a reality.

Sources

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• BBR (client), FIRU GmbH (contractor): Querauswertung von ExWoSt-Modellvorhaben zum Flächenrecycling, 2004 (Lateral Evaluation of the EXHUD Model Projects for Area Recycling, 2004) (unpublished report)
• Arbeitsgruppe für Regionalplanung, Endbericht zum Forschungsfeld Städtebau und Wirtschaft, Themenfeld Stadterneuerung in Gewerbegebieten (Study group for Regional Planning, Final Report on the Research Field “Urban Development and the Economy”, Subject Area “Urban Restructuring in Industrial Areas), Berlin 1993
• <http://www.channel-hamburg.de/>

Further information

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• Auszeichnungen:
• 2002 "Metropole Hamburg - Wachsende Stadt"
• 2002 DIFA Award "Quartiere im städtischen Kontext" (Endrunde)
• 2004 Ausgezeichnet als "Modell-Projekt" - Metropolregion Hamburg
• 2004-07 EU-Projekt VISP Vitalisierung von Stadtzentren
• 2005 Best Practice - Veröffentlichung Umweltbundesamt: "Die Zukunft liegt auf Brachflächen"
• 2006 Platz im internationalen DIFA Award "Lebensqualität in Quartieren"(Endrunde)

The project location can be directly translated into Google-maps. Project in Google-Maps

The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 21079 - town: Hamburg - street: Harburger Schloßstraße 36.

Protagonists

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• Stadt Hamburg (Hamburg Council), Behörde für Bau und Verkehr (Construction and Transport Office), Geerd Fischer, Stadthausbrücke 8, 20355 Hamburg, tel.: 0 40 / 4 28 40 80 88, fax: 0 40/ 4 28 40 31 9
• Bezirksamt Harburg (Harburg Regional Office), Stadtplanungsabteilung (Town Planning Department), Sven Menke, tel.: 0 40 / 28 71 - 20 96, email: <sven.menke@harburg.hamburg.de> HC Hagemann, Arne Weber, Karnapp 20, 21079 Hamburg, tel.: 040-766007-23, email: <info@hchagemann.de>, <http://www.channeltower.de> Channel Hamburg e.V., Tina Schmidt-Nausch, Harburger Schloßstraße 6-12, 21079 Hamburg, tel.: 040-76629-6121, email: <schmidt-nausch@channel-hamburg.de>, <http://www.channel-hamburg.de>
• Real estate company „aurelius Immobilien AG“, Kurt Groenewold, Heußweg 35, 20255 Hamburg, tel.: 040–43 19 32 94, email: <aureliusag@aol.com>, <http://www.das-silo.de> Real estate company “VALVO Immobilien M. Vogler e.K”., Manfred Vogler, Essener Straße 4, 22419 Hamburg, email: <m.vogler@valvo.de>, <http://www.kaispeicher-harburg.de/>
• Aurelis Management GmbH Region Nord, Hisko Gentzsch, Anckelmannsplatz 1, 20537 Hamburg, tel.: 0 40 / 39 18 – 26 50, email: <hisko.gentzsch@aurelis-real-estate.de>
• EU-Projekt VISP, Jürgen Becker, TuTech Innovation GmbH, Harburger Schloßstraße 6-12, <http://www.vispnet.org>