Highly complex diversity in a central location

Überseequartier is the most metropolitan quarter and most visited part of HafenCity. Here alone more than 10,000 jobs will be created. Retailing occupies 23 per cent of premises, with spaces for food and drink, entertainment, offices, a vertically integrated cruise center and a variety of hotel uses providing around 1,150 rooms, as well as 1,200 apartments. The 14 ha urban mass of Überseequartier is more than just another city neighborhood.  With what even by HafenCity standards is an extremely eclectic mix, this development illustrates just how far HafenCity has developed as a city in terms of its integrated complex mix of uses. It is setting international standards. Since the spatial realization of HafenCity is taking place from north to south, the northern part, offering around 140,000 m² GFA for living, offices, retail, catering and hotel uses, has been more or less finished since 2010, with the exception of one site.

Its structure is based on an overall urban planning concept by international architects, founded on the urban planning blueprint developed by Trojan Trojan + Partner. Public spaces throughout Überseequartier and areas around Magdeburger Hafen basin were realized according to a concept by Catalan public space planner Beth Galí and her firm BB+GG arquitectes. 

The layout of the quarter is the result of an overall concept by internationally renowned architectural firms based on the urban planning design originally developed by Trojan Trojan + Partner, Darmstadt. The public spaces are being realized according to the concept of the open space planner Beth Galí with her office BB+GG arquitectes, Barcelona. In the northern part of the district, more than two dozen stores and restaurants have settled around the central Überseeboulevard. Around 580 apartments have already been built there. At the same time, around 33,000 m² of office space has been created. In 2015, a German real estate special fund managed by Hines Immobilien GmbH acquired the majority of the completed buildings. The Sumatrakontor has now also been sold to a pension fund.

The southern Überseequartier has been developed by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield since 2014 following a revision of the architecture and utilization concept. Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier opened as the centerpiece on April 8, 2025. The opening of the new cruise terminal is also planned for 2025. A 70-metre-high office building designed by Pritzker Prize winner Christian de Portzamparc at Magdeburger Hafen is still in the planning stage.

In total, 14 individual buildings with around 580 apartments, 8,000 workplaces, cultural and entertainment facilities (e.g. cinema, exhibitions), restaurants (over 40 catering units) and retail (around 170 stores) are being built in Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier. The retail areas are organized over the underground mound level, the first floor and the second floor. The opening of the quarter to the Elbe is literally outstanding. The spacious open spaces of the Chicagokai on the Elbe and - after the later construction of the office building - the Störtebeker Ufer at Magdeburger Hafen open up the water's edge.

The new inner-city cruise terminal offers two berths and will be able to handle up to 3,600 passengers at the same time if required. In addition to the actual ship operations, the complex ensemble of buildings includes an underground bus station, car parking spaces, a cab driveway as well as hotel and retail space.

A sculptural glass roof designed by Werner Sobek, Stuttgart, rises up between the buildings of the southern Überseequartier. It protects against rain and wind without closing off the urban space and significantly enhances the quality of stay. At the same time - in contrast to fully air-conditioned closed mall concepts - the open street space and the public character of the open spaces between the buildings are retained. Places of contemplation and remembrance also have their place here, including an installation with angel wings from the Hamburger Spendenparlament.

As is generally the case in HafenCity, high sustainability standards are also set in Überseequartier. In the south, all buildings were constructed in accordance with the BREEAM Excellent Standard criteria, while the office space also complies with the DGNB Gold Standard. The U4 subway line, which has connected the quarter to the central Jungfernstieg public transport hub since 2012, forms the backbone of the transport links. Since the end of 2019, the subway has also been connected to the new Elbbrücken S-Bahn station in eastern HafenCity. The sustainable mobility concept for the entire quarter, which is largely car-free above ground, includes various bus routes, smart logistics and traffic guidance systems, e-charging stations and at least 3,500 bicycle parking spaces.

The good connections, the intensive mix of uses and the attractive open spaces promise a high public frequency for Überseequartier, which will not diminish during the week and in the evening hours and will have a high integrative power for the whole of HafenCity. The pedestrian links between the Elbphilharmonie, Kaiserkai, Strandkai and Überseequartier will be enhanced. All the institutions in HafenCity, the museums, Lohsepark and the entire retail sector will benefit from increased footfall.

The Überseequartier can provide impetus right into Hamburg's city center, ultimately contributing to the revitalization and repositioning of established shopping locations. The upgrading of the cathedral axis from Jungfernstieg through Speicherstadt to Überseeboulevard will make an important contribution to this. Following an urban planning workshop process and with the support of Hamburg's “Inner City Round Table”, the approximately 750-metre-long axis is to be developed into an attractive pedestrian and cycle path connection. This includes temporary open spaces, particularly on Domplatz and St. Annenplatz, with well over 100 plant troughs and seating, which were installed in spring 2024. A wayfinding system with its own branding has also been implemented, and a dedicated lighting concept and events are planned. In the medium term, the aim is to revitalize first floors, redesign squares and create new usage options for individual buildings.

In this way, Überseequartier is driving forward the integration of the city center, Speicherstadt and HafenCity between the Alster and Elbe rivers. For Hamburg residents and visitors alike, it offers a spectacular urban space on the waterfront with a diverse, integrated mix of uses and radiance.