Day 3: Excursions
Thursday, 16 May
IBA / HafenCity

Hamburg, the second biggest city in Germany and the third largest European port has many attributes. It is called “the German Gateway to the World”, “a thriving centre of industry and business” or “the green city on the River Elbe”. But can a big city like Hamburg with 1.8 million inhabitants within the city and 4.3 million in the metropolitan region also be sustainable and fit for the future?
The European Union considered the city to be on the right track by awarding it the “European Green Capital” title in 2011. In its statement, the jury stated the reasons behind the decision: “Hamburg has shown major achievements in the past years and has also attained excellent environmental standards across the board.” It was stressed that the city has set very ambitious future plans regarding its further development. One aspect that particularly impressed the jury was the binding climate goals set by the city and its integrated and participative planning strategy.
Major urban development projects
In its search for answers to metropolitan challenges, Hamburg has started two major urban development projects. Both aim to become role models of sustainable and future-oriented waterfront cities. However, they have different orientations:
2nd International BMBF Conference
Future Megacities
in Action
Innovative Solutions for Energy- and Climate-
Efficient Urbanisation
May 14 – 16, 2013
Hamburg (Germany)

IBA Hamburg – International
Building Exhibition
With the slogan “building the city anew” the International Building Exhibition Hamburg (Internationale Bauausstellung IBA Hamburg) in 3 southern districts of Hamburg focuses on the advancements of already existing urban areas. Entailing constructual, social and cultural projects it addresses how metropolises of tomorrow can cope with challenges of globalisation, polarisation and climate change. The set of measures ranges from single architectural interventions to entire neighbourhood developments and is supported by political, cultural and social programmes.
After seven years of progress, built practice and a wealth of gained experiences, the IBA
Hamburg is entering its presentation year in 2013.
Photo Credit – IBA Hamburg GmbH / Martin Kunze
www.iba-hamburg.de
HafenCity Hamburg
With its overall area of 157 hectars and planned new building of ca. 2.32 million sqm HafenCity Hamburg is the largest urban development project currently being implemented in Europe. Since 2003 the mixed use inner-city district is emerging from former habour-land, offering a clear chance for sustainable urban developloment. High quality standards have been set on aspects such as ecofriendly construction, barrier-free mobility, efficient energy generation and use of resources, high quality open spaces and effective flood protection.
When completely developed around 2025, it will be home to some 12,000 inhabitants in approximately 6,000 residential units and offer workplaces for about 45,000 people. For the time being a substaintional part of the masterplan’s construction volume has been put into practice and can be visited.
Photo Credit – www.mediaserver.hamburg.de / R. Hegeler
www.hafencity.comExcursion 1Cities and
Climate Change
Excursion 2Building and
Energy
Four field-trips *
In light of this four field-trips carried out by experts from IBA Hamburg and HafenCity are available in the context of the conference. Participants can visit good practices as well as highlights of these forward-looking urban development projects currently implemented in Hamburg. Together with our competent hosts you will experience the innovative approaches, lessons learnt and explore
- how a city on the waterfront can cope with climate change by applying new solutions
- how the transformation of habour wasteland to sustainable and liveable neighbourhoods can be organised
- how tomorrow’s metropolises can become more independent from fossile energies
- how the “inner-urban periphery”, including the zones of infrastructure and industry can evolve into quality-oriented urban areas.
* As the details of the tours are still being finalised, changes are possible at short notice.
Excursion 3Sustainability
Excursion 4Sustainability
Tour Information and Itinerary
- Guided walking and bus tour from approximately
09:00 to 16:00 - Introduction to the IBA DOCK exhibition with explanations by means of a model and the chance to visit the exhibition
- Guided Tour though the IBA project area with stops at selected good practice examples and presentations by competent project managers
- Option of having lunch together
Tour Information and Itinerary
- Guided walking tour from approximately 10:00 to 18:00
- Introduction to the project in the Info Centre Kesselhaus with a presentation and explanations by means of an urbanistic model of the project site
- Guided tour though the HafenCity area with stops at selected good practice examples
- Opportunity for a feedback discussion with a member of the HafenCity Ltd. management team
- Option of having lunch together
Good practice examples
(part of Tour 1 and/or 2)

IBA Dock
part of Tour 1 | 2
Climatically neutral and innovative: the floating IBA DOCK with its “IBA at Work” exhibition provides an overview of the IBA Hamburg’s aims, activities and results. Moreover, the building itself is an example of innovative construction and energy saving technologies: the building stands on a 50 metre long and 26 metre wide concrete pontoon, and the superstructure is based on a modular steel system. As well as being light, this allows parts of the upper structure to be removed for transportation so that the IBA DOCK can pass under low bridges.
Photo Credit – IBA Hamburg GmbH / Martin Kunze
Good practice examples
(part of Tour 3 or 4)

Unilever Building
part of Tour 3
Due to its sustainable, innovative and efficient architecture, the Unilever Building has earned many national and international awards. Designed by Behnisch Architects, the building represents aesthetic and ecological quality, and its freely accessible atrium gives it a very public character. The company headquarters is the largest building worldwide to be completely equipped with energy efficient LEDs. Further sustainable aspects include building component activation for cooling, a heat recovery system on the roof of the atrium, and the extensive use of ecologically optimised building materials. The building has received a HafenCity Gold- Ecolabel for exemplary sustainable construction.
Photo Credit – Thomas Hampel / ELBE & Flut / Quelle: HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
Additional Features
In addition to the good practice examples, the following subjects will be part of the excursions 1 and 2:
IBA – General Information
- Basic information: numbers, data, and facts about IBA
- The IBA master plan and its progress
- Processes and features
- Neighbourhood characteristics
- Financing and allocation of real estate
Focus Areas
- Climate protection concept “Renewable Wilhelmsburg”:
model concept and strategies for providing Hamburg’s Elbe Islands with exclusively renewable energies - Wilhelmsburg Central – Integrated Energy Network:
interconnected power generation plants located in various buildings that form a large “virtual” power station - Hamburg’s Energy Partnerships:
concrete ways to reduce energy consumption in private households - Opening up the Spreehafen:
utilisation of the former customs-free harbour area - Open House:
cooperativley planned housing to the newest standards of climate-friendly construction - Veringeck:
intercultural housing for people who require care - Weltgewerbehof:
neighbourhood work places for local firms and entrepreneurs - State Ministry for Urban Development and the
Environment (BSU): Example of a new standard of
administrative building - Educational Centre “Tor zur Welt” [Gateway to the World]:
upgrading of education in Wilhelmsburg
Additional Features
In addition to the good practice examples, the following subjects will be part of the excursions 3 and 4:
HafenCity – General Information
- Basic information: numbers, data, and facts about HafenCity
- The HafenCity master plan and its progress
- Development management specific features
- Neighbourhood characteristics
- Financing and allocation of real estate
- Traffic concept and current figures - “Modal Split”
- Fine-grained horizontal and vertical mixture of uses
- Open space design (with examples during the excursion: Magellan Terrassen, Magdeburger Hafen)
- Relationship between streets and privately and publically accessible areas
Focus Area Sustainability
- Brownfield development
- Climate-adapted flood protection
- Sustainable climate-adapted urban structure
- High land-use efficiency
- Sustainable mobility
- Sustainable heating energy supply
- Sustainable building
- Ecolabel HafenCity