Park middle Hamburg-Altona

POESIS OF GEOMETRY

_an open park structure of explicit form...
_robust in its spatial constitution
_of sensual atmosphere
_an inherent and open in time
_a free space for the city!

The new district of Altona-Mitte is being created on the site of the former freight station in Hamburg Where goods were loaded just a few years ago, a mixed, inner-city piece of the city is developing. The central district park forms the "green agora", as a social catalyst for the emerging urban community.
The monumental steel skeleton of the former freight depot is preserved as a witness to the railway infrastructure and thus becomes an identity-creating icon and a pacemaker for the geometrically shaped park design. A historic clinker brick building and water tower anchor the new neighborhood to the history of the site.

Based on the column grid, a tree grid plays the wide park. The striking tree architecture forms an independent green body to the city. Compressions, lunges and empty spaces in the tree grid form a contoured park backdrop, consisting of hanseatic strict esplanades, structure-rich bosquets and a wild grove. The sharply cut step edges, path lines and tree grid draw clear and generous spaces with memorable perspectives. The stringency of the design overlaps with the free plant growth and activities of the park users.

The park is laid out as a meadow landscape with changing park scenes. The concentration of the pathways as generous esplanades, allows tree-lined movement and recreation spaces at the transition to the neighborhood and integrates the park via crosswalks in the network of relationships of the city.
_In the "city garden" are located toddler play near the daycare and the park terrace with play fountain and park café.
_The "Pleasureground" forms the free center with lawn stage and sunlit seating steps. Its inner expanse plays on the spirit of the place.
_The "Parkhalle" offers as an activity place with a football field, climbing playground and lushly planted hall garden a special offer for school and neighborhood.
_The "Wäldchen" forms as a structurally rich nature experience space with dense woody plantings an ideal place for unconditioned play or a cozy picnic.

The clear spatial structure formulates a playable park space with an informal park zoning. The spatially and temporally overlapping uses are tailored to the needs identified in a participatory process - with room for interpretation in the future.

As a nod to the Hanseatic City's tradition of global trade, the diverse collection of trees is conceived as a maple park, with native field, sycamore and Norway maples, sugar, red and silver maples from North America, snakeskin maples from Japan, and Cappadocian maples from Turkey. Enriched by tree species with maple-like foliage, compacted in the grove by hazel, rowan and pine. In autumn, the park celebrates a bright 'Indian Summer' together with the Hamburg clinker facades.

The sunken playground and the sunlit park steps form a relief that links function and recreation in a natural way. As a storage volume, the swale accommodates periodic backwater from the urban stormwater system. It is part of the citywide climate strategy that requires stormwater to be retained, infiltrate and evaporate.

The public has already taken the first section of the park to heart. By spring 2021, the corroded hall structure will be renovated and enriched with shade canopies, a climbing landscape and a densely planted hall garden. In a longer development perspective, with the relocation of the long-distance train station, the park will connect with the existing green corridor through the city and extend to the 'Altona Balcony' on the Elbe. For this continuation of the park, the geometric design code serves as a self-explanatory game guide.

Living environment awardGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2021

Jury verdict:
On the site of the former freight station in Hamburg is a central open space that has been developed as a residential environment and local recreation area for a large number of new residents. In this context, the central city park is intended to serve as a "green agora" and social catalyst for the emerging urban community.

The project is convincing due to the combination of multi-layered aspects of contemporary landscape architecture. The concept envisages a clear and open park structure that is robustly positioned to accommodate a variety of uses and thus meet the needs of a wide range of users. At the same time, it also allows for different occupations of space and area.

The careful integration of the "monumental steel skeleton" of the former goods hall serves as a reminiscence and establishes an attractive reference to the disappeared history of the site.

The planting concept, which was developed and conceived in reference to the international trading activities of the Hanseatic city, consists of a variety of maple species from different regions of the world. This aspect of the concept was controversially discussed and could not convince due to the lack of climate compatibility.

The handling of rainwater management in the form of an incised lawn stage is an intelligent way to deal with heavy rainfall events and manages to cleverly combine function and recreation.

Overall, the project features an attractive, robust and future-oriented residential environment design and was thus able to convince the jury as a worthy award winner in the category "Residential Environment".