Hamburg as a pioneer in sustainable urban development on the waterfront

The creation of new urban space with a maritime flair on an area of 157 hectares is currently being implemented by the Hanseatic City of Hamburg along the Elbe. The ambitious project, which is regarded as a benchmark for Europe in terms of sustainability, combines a wide variety of uses in a holistic manner: Commercial, residential, education and culture, as well as tourism and leisure. In addition to very high quality standards, increased attention is being paid to a balanced mix of social, ecological and economic interests.

The immediate location on the waterfront and the associated risk of flooding have been solved here in a very unique way: the HafenCity area has not been diked, but instead raised to around 8.5 meters above sea level.

Paving art with natural stone

The open space design around the harbor basin between Überseequartier and Elbtorquartier, which is referred to as Magdeburger Hafen, impresses with its aesthetics, quality and the unity of its squares, promenades and quay areas created by an architectural scenery. Cross-project specifications by the city for several construction phases were considered the benchmark for Hamburg as a city of the 21st century.

Colored concrete, wood and dark belgrano® natural stone connect the different areas of the HafenCity. The integrated lighting emphasizes the pleasant ambience and the “living room character” that invites people to linger.

The upper side of the selected belgrano® basalt stones, which are used here in seven different formats, was flamed and thus has a higher slip resistance. The sides of the unique stones were split and reworked to create a uniform, tight joint pattern. Around 90 truckloads with a total of 2,250 tons of natural stone from the company BESCO Berliner Steincontor GmbH were delivered in a climate-neutral manner and laid in wild modular bond.