International Inspiration - Hamburg
Last week the P-THREE team was in Hamburg. And before you ask: no, this wasn’t a team building jolly. It was, however an insightful experience, part of my and the rest of the team’s constant drive to expand our collective knowledge of mixed use property. In Hamburg I wanted to understand for myself if the city is stuck in it’s supposed conservative past, or whether this port city lives up to its modern billing as Germany’s “Gateway to the World”.
…if you think physical retail is dead, then you might wish to reconsider. In this city it is hard to spot vacant shops, with key money payable in some cases. The luxury brands are represented, but more impressive is the depth of the premium retail brand sector with no shortage of activity.
Historically, Hamburg has always enjoyed a rich cultural and maritime heritage. This is demonstrated by world-class locations and architecture. Nowadays, it is a city with a constantly highly rated quality of life that draws in four million tourists a year. But, is it resting on its laurels?
While a conservative core undoubtedly remains, my impression is of a city experiencing incredible and rapid change. Innovative, progressive and ambitious are now in my opinion the watch words to describe Hamburg. A great example of this is MOIA, the city’s own version of Uber. A vehicle ride sharing service by the VW group, it operates electric vehicles which close the gap between taxis and public transport. It was quickly my preferred method of transport around the city.
As is customary with our city visits, the P-THREE team paid particular attention to the restaurant and leisure scene. Historically, Hamburg has definitely not had a reputation for progressive gastronomy, however, this is also changing. While of course some firm German favourites such as Bratwurst (the best in town is served from a street kiosk called Mo-Grill on Mönckebergstraβe) remain, elsewhere a more modern vibe is evident. Take the emerging Oberhafen Quarter which is a very cool, distressed, graffiti rich, paired back conversion of old railway buildings, where you will find Hamburg is not missing out on the food hall revolution. Hobenköök market hall is a great example of a converted historic building re-imagined as a contemporary food hall. Alternatively, and certainly not for the non progressive, you will find outstanding sushi at the restaurant Coast by East, set in a water front location and contained in an uber-modern building, designed to reflect the open flap of a seagull’s wings.
For pure unbridled ambition, look no further than HafenCity, possibly the largest redevelopment project in Europe. On completion in 2030 it will be home to over 12,000 people and the workplace of 45,000. Located on just under 400 acres, HafenCity will deliver over 25 million sq ft of floor area. This is an epic mixed use project with bold and varied architecture at its core. HafenCity is a textbook case of successful mixed use development at scale, that breathes new life into redundant city quarters, combining world heritage architecture with super-modern styles and anchoring new development with cultural, educational and entertainment venues. This is where Hamburg is truly announcing its credentials on the world property stage.
By any standard URW’s development of Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier at around 1 million sq ft to include a cruise ship terminal is a large project, yet it only forms just a corner of the HafenCity site. Due to open next year, this scheme highlighted to me the extent to which the old single use shopping centre model has been recast into a multi-functional venue. URW has seized this opportunity to develop not just a shopping and entertainment venue to create a destinational location in the city for those purposes, but a project that also offers significant office accommodation, plus other uses. In my view, this will form a real focal point within HafenCity, greatly adding to the overall experience.
The final P-THREE takeaway from Hamburg is if you think physical retail is dead, then you might wish to reconsider. In this city it is hard to spot vacant shops, with key money payable in some cases. The luxury brands are represented, but more impressive is the depth of the premium retail brand sector with no shortage of activity.
As the team and I returned to London, there was no doubt in my mind that on completion, HafenCity will have achieved its goal of becoming a successful new city area by the water and in so doing help cement Hamburg’s standing on the world stage. Don’t take my word for it though – pop over, check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.
Article by P-THREE team
Photo credits: P-THREE
