Kirchenpauerkai in the Baakenhafen quarter by Atelier Loidl Landscape Architects Berlin GmbH

Built in 2023 / 2025 Built Landscapes / 2025 Entries / 2025 Public Projects / Germany /
atelier-loidl.de

The Baakenhafen quarter is one of the newest development areas in Hamburg’s HafenCity and impresses with its double waterfront location – between Baakenhafen in the north and the Elbe in the south. The district was built on an artificially raised headland that was created around 1870 as part of the harbour expansion. Today, it forms a lively, diverse urban space where living, working and leisure are closely intertwined.

As in the entire HafenCity area, the historic, fortified quay edges have been preserved here, reminding visitors of the site’s former use as a port facility. These quay edges surround the quarter and now serve as publicly accessible promenades along the water. They allow visitors to spend time right at the water’s edge, creating a strong sense of identity with the place and offering impressive views of the water. As these areas are located at the historic harbour level, they can be flooded during storm surges. The new buildings, streets and squares, on the other hand, are located at a flood-proof level thanks to the approximately four-metre-high raised ground floor (a raised floor on a warft, an artificial earth mound on which a house is built to protect it from storm surges). This creates a functional separation between vulnerable open spaces and permanently usable urban space – an essential aspect of resilience-oriented urban development in HafenCity in Hamburg.

A defining feature of the quarter is the park along the Kirchenpauerkai, which stretches for around 1,000 metres and is 30 metres wide, forming a linear green backbone. It lies between the historic riverbank of the Elbe and a new, distinctive embankment wall made of reddish-brown clinker bricks, which supports the new building and road level. The park connects the adjacent urban quarter, acts as a climate-friendly green corridor and fulfils an ecological function as a biotope network. It offers a species-rich habitat for flora and fauna, thereby contributing to the ecological greening of the densely built-up HafenCity.

At the same time, the park serves as an important recreational, exercise and meeting area for residents and visitors. The design is based on natural landscape forms: the gently modelled, meadow-like topography appears as if shaped by the wind, interspersed with tree-lined areas that provide shade in summer. A wide range of play, sports and exercise facilities are integrated into this landscape, catering to different age groups and user interests – from a children’s playground to a calisthenics area. Places for activity alternate with quiet zones that invite visitors to linger. Walks in the shade of trees along the quay, a chat with neighbours or a view of the sparkling water – all this makes the park a central component of urban quality of life.

The design of the Kirchenpauerkai is a prime example of the successful combination of historic harbour structure, modern urban architecture and ecologically effective open space. The long, linear park along the Elbe creates a green centre in the Baakenhafen Quarter – atmospheric, functionally diverse and beautifully landscaped. Here, robust infrastructure and nature-oriented design come together, creating resilience through height and openness through accessibility. Kirchenpauerkai transforms a former working area of the harbour into a lively urban space on the waterfront – well thought-out, ecologically sound, socially open and exemplary for the development of sustainable urban open spaces.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
BBS Landscape Engineering GmBH (Construction supervision of outdoor facilities),
Dr. Binnewies Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH (Engineering structures neighbourhood squares), Sellhorn Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH (Port cranes, quay wall renovation),
Neumann beratende Ingenieure GmbH & Zimmermann und Becker GmbH (SEA),
Argus Stadt und Verkehr (Infrastructur)

• Other credits:
Client: HafenCity Hamburg GmbH
Size: 4.2 ha