Grasbrook’s overall urban and landscape design appearance decided
The urban and landscape design ideas process for the new Grasbrook district concluded on April 3 with the second and final meeting of the jury. The prize-winning design by the team of Herzog & de Meuron and Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten will now determine the overall urban design and landscape design appearance of the Grasbrook district.
The panel of judges comprising representatives from various specialisms and politics and chaired by Prof. Matthias Sauerbruch (sauerbruchhutton) decided on the following awards:
1st prize: Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. (Basle) and VOGT Landschaftsarchitekten AG (Zurich)
2nd prize: Mandaworks AB (Stockholm) and Karres en Brands RB (Hilversum)
3rd prize: ADEPT ApS (Copenhagen) and Studio Vulkan Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH (Zurich)
Reactions to the jury’s decision:
Dr Dorothee Stapelfeldt, Senator for Urban Development and Housing:
“The decision of our jury creates a very good basis for the development of the new Grasbrook district. We have a robust design for future urban and landscape design development that has strong potential for the future. It facilitates diverse, high-quality living and has excellent open space qualities with the fantastic central park in the middle of the district and the striking green promenade along the Elbe. It is a milestone for Hamburg as a livable, green city by the water. The new district will offer affordable housing for all population groups, interesting and innovative jobs and lively and varied open spaces. In the next few years, a distinctive place will be created for the future residents of Grasbrook, for Veddel and the other neighboring districts and for the city as a whole. I would like to thank all members of the jury for their commitment throughout the process.”
Prof. Jürgen Bruns-Berentelg, CEO, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH:
“Through the design by Herzog & de Meuron and Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten, Grasbrook will become a new showcase district with a clear urban structure, a large public area with a spectacular roof construction and a park at its heart. It also opens up the possibility for innovations in sustainability for a climate-neutral district and for an innovation-driven user structure. With this design and the proposed bridge, the integration of Veddel should also be a success. The task now is to complete the preliminary planning by summer 2021 with renewed intensive public participation.”
Franz-Josef Höing, Chief Planning Officer, Ministry for Urban Development and Housing:
“Hamburg is getting a new large park on Kleiner Grasbrook while new interesting, unusual locations for living and working in the middle of the city will be created step by step on its flanks. In addition, a beautiful new bridge will connect the previously isolated Veddel area and the new district on Kleiner Grasbrook. With the award-winning design by the team of Herzog & de Meuron and Günter Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten, the city has received a convincing ‘spatial timetable’ that now makes the ‘leap across the Elbe’ concrete and vivid.”
Prof. Matthias Sauerbruch (Chairman of the Judging Panel):
“It was a very ambitious process that we managed to bring to a successful conclusion despite the coronavirus crisis. The development of the drafts since the interim presentation shows how strongly the dialog has guided and stimulated the authors. The proposal that won at the end was the one that absorbed the suggestions in an ingenious way. The team of Herzog & de Meuron and Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten have come up with a result that offers a simple, basic structure, but has enormous potential for development in all respects. They are proposing a new neighborhood that has emerged from Hamburg’s language of urban design and will continue to make local history in a most interesting way.”