Circuit economy in the Wilhelmsburg town hall district

A collaborative workshop process was launched at the end of 2022 for building plots 14 and 15 in the Rathausviertel Wilhelmsburg urban development area. The focus of the designs was on the topic of circular economy. The 1st prize has now been awarded. Find out more here.

The urban development area Wilhelmsburger Rathausviertel is being built on a total of 32 hectares in Hamburg’s Wilhelmsburg district. Not only around 1,600 new residential units are planned here. Around 29,000 square meters of commercial space will also be found here in the future. There will also be public facilities such as sports units and daycare centers. This gigantic project is being made possible by the IBA Hamburg and the associated GmbH. This is because the planning company did not simply dissolve after the International Building Exhibition 2014 in the Hanseatic city, but continues to operate and has since been responsible for the planning and realization of ten new districts, among other things. These include the Wilhelmsburg town hall district. The design for this was provided by DeZwarteHond and RMP Stephan Lenzen Landschaftsarchitekten back in 2015, who won the urban and open space planning competition “Living for everyone – in the middle of Wilhelmsburg”.

They developed a new landscape axis with drainage ditches – the so-called wetters – that runs from the Inselpark to the Ernst August Canal. This green corridor is bordered by cycle paths and areas for strolling and lingering. In the future, the district will also offer a variety of housing options for people of all target and age groups, as well as architectural diversity. To this end, the building plots in the area vary in their extent and orientation. A collaborative workshop process on the topic of re-use and circularity was announced for building plots 14 and 15 at the end of 2022. With the help of two workshop dates, the invited participating offices developed structural engineering concepts for the site over two phases.

The aim was to accommodate different functions. In principle, the tender for the Wilhelmsburg town hall district envisaged mixed uses consisting of commercial, residential and public facilities such as a day care center. The two construction sites – site 14 in the north and site 15 in the south – are connected by an existing bridge structure. This structure was to be integrated into the overall concept. However, the aim was to integrate a meaningful, public-oriented use into the existing structure. In addition to these urban planning specifications, a key focus of the process was on development in the sense of a circular economy. To this end, the participating offices were able to use the IBA design guidelines as a guide. One office has now emerged as the winner from the intensive process. Behnisch Architekten from Munich/ Weimar, TREIBHAUS Landschaftsarchitektur from Berlin/Hamburg and knippershelbig and Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH were able to impress with their design. Sauerbruch Hutton and Jan Wiese Architekten – both from Berlin – took second and third place.

The pilot project in Hamburg is also part of the EU research project CIRCuIT. The four cities of Copenhagen, Hamburg, Helsinki and London have joined forces to provide innovative solutions for the circular transformation of their built environment. The desired turning point in construction is achieved, among other things, by involving partners from the entire value chain so that the results can flow directly back into it and knowledge is linked.

The winning design for the Wilhelmsburg town hall district is a pilot project for a new way of building – completely regenerative and resource-efficient thanks to circular synergies. To achieve this, Behnisch Architekten are focusing on new technologies, innovative materials and the use of renewable energies. All of this contributes to energy efficiency and the optimization of building services. The architects also focus on the entire life cycle of the buildings and their transformability. For example, the design provides for simple and flexible adjustment of apartment sizes by allowing units to be linked horizontally or vertically via connecting corridors without the need for conversion work. The design also takes into account the connection and separability of building materials and the handling of stock and leftovers. The joints allow the building to be dismantled and the individual parts reused. The basic idea was the principle of the building as a material store for the future. Like an organism, the building evolves with the needs of its inhabitants. Reduce, reuse and recycle are therefore more than just empty words in Behnisch Architekten’s design.

The open space also makes an essential contribution to the development of the sustainable district. Sealing is to be reduced on the site and natural spaces developed instead. The inner courtyards will not be underbuilt in order to guarantee tree plantings a location that can take root. The roofs and facades will be greened. A green step system with urban farming is also planned for the existing bridge. What’s more, it will become the “heart of the quarter” and initially serve as an information point and starter box for all developments in the quarter as well as an exhibition space for circular construction. Later on, it will be transformed into a meeting place for the community with a pergola, sanitary facilities and a kitchen. A green, playful topography is being created in the northern courtyard. Furthermore, corresponding open spaces are allocated to the daycare facilities on both construction sites. The design also provides for two smaller pocket parks on the southern construction site. Climate-adapted species are planned for the selection of plants in the area. Last but not least, the design also presents a concept for the design of the water cycles within the neighborhood.

The design for the Wilhelmsburg town hall district also focuses on sustainable mobility. To this end, each building will have attached bicycle parking spaces and infrastructure. The building plots are largely accessible on foot and directly connected to public transport by bus and train. This avoids individual traffic within the neighborhood. Instead, cars are directed from Mengestraße into a half-buried parking lane, which can be naturally lit and ventilated.

The Rathausviertel Wilhelmsburg project shows what attractive, adaptable architecture can look like. In addition to aesthetic and ecological aspects, the design also focuses on social aspects and the needs of the users. This could lead to greater acceptance and identification with the built environment. It will be exciting to see how the developers, architects and residents develop the pilot project further. It already impresses with its innovative approaches, which explore the possibilities of dismantling buildings to reuse materials. Sustainable construction of the future needs more concepts like this for dismantlable and flexible construction. Ultimately, ecology, economy and society will benefit equally.

Another exciting project from Hamburg, for example, is Kirchenpauerkai on the Elbe.