Landungsbrüken in Hamburg
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
Landungsbrüken in Hamburg
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
Office and housing complex (architect : K Christiansee)
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
Office and housing complex (architect : K Christiansee)
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
In the Perlenkette, there is also a former silo, transformed into a luxury residence for senior citizens (Wohnstift Augustinium im ehemaligen Union Kühlhaus). This building with 147 appartments and a private restaurant on the top floor, is situated opposite the Port of Hamburg container terminal. We were told that the noise connected with the handling of containers is the subject of frequent complaints from the residents.
Cold storage silo transformed into an old peoples' home
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
Noise pollution is a recurrent problem in a great number of German port cities. Notably in Hamburg, the re-conversion of former port wastelands close to the active port and their transformation into mixed housing zones engenders major conflicts in the city port cohabitation. The housing accommodation built in the framework of the new development project of Hafencity (on a former port wasteland of over 150 hectares) has to meet the specifications of a soundproofing not to exceed a 30 dB maximum. The deputy manager of Hafencity GmbH a public urban development organisation charged with the organisation of the whole project -, Reiner Nagel, explained to us the new measures put in place. These are accompanied by a detailed documentation that enables the promoters to be made aware of the new technologies in sound-proofing. The port activities, only a couple of hundred metres away from the site, are therefore not put in question by the construction of this new district at the interface with the warehouse city (Speicherstadt).
Model of the Hafencity project
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
Construction of offices and housing accommodation around the Sandtorhafen docks
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
According to Wolfgang Hurtienne, manager of the planning department of the Port of Hamburg, the port authorities welcome this new project favourably since the City is making use of the port identity to set up its urban project. In line with this, Joachim Kaiser, General manager of the Hamburg Maritim Foundation, works in cooperation with the port organisations and Hafencity GmbH. For several years now he has been leading a project for the restoration of former warehouses and old port cranes. The objective is to preserve the port heritage of Hamburg and, at term, to create an open-air museum that will reinforce the image of the port city in the new Hafencity district.
Old port cranes being rehabilitated at the "Maritim Foundation"
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
Former port warehouse transformed into a hall to host occasional events and exhibitions.
© Association Internationale Villes et ports
The management of the port, that has always been carried out by public organisations dependant on the City of Hamburg, therefore on the Land, will be transferred as from the 1st January 2005, to a common law independent Port Authority of which the Land will be the sole shareholder. All the present port organisations will be brought together (about 1900 staff) including the financial department that is responsible for the rental contracts for port land and buildings. The Port of Hamburg will have financial autonomy (no further repercussions on the public budget, e.g.: social services, environment, infrastructures belonging to the Land other than those of the port) that will enable it to invest more in the development and maintenance of the port. Other German ports have, before Hamburg, already made the choice of a private structure that is able to act more freely and to respond quicker to the demands of the shipping operators.
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