Edge HafenCity

The HafenCity in Hamburg, on the northerly part of the former free port, has been expanding for over ten years now. A highly densified business location is in the process of being planned in the Elbbrücken district to the east, situated on the longest dock of the HafenCity. Edge HafenCity is the first cornerstone of this so-called 'Übersee' district, creating a prominent anchor point for the development project. Located on the central Vespucci-Platz, the office building incorporates the existing topography and extends it interiorly in the form of terraced levels. These are accessed via open stairs, which breach the girders and columns of the stringent architectural grid of the building, winding spirally upwards around the central atrium. Co-working zones are located on every level with varying amenity values – the so-called “5 Districts”. Each of them is supplemented with individual workplaces. By this means the interior – characterised by a diversity of visual axes and varying spatial heights and transparencies – is cast in a constant interplay between concentration and communication. In terms of urban planning, the building, with its imposingly projecting tower, consciously occupies centre stage. Deeply set arcades open the building out to the square.