Since July 1st, 2018, Dirk Hünerbein has been Head of Development at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and is thus responsible for the entire existing portfolio in Germany as well as the development of new projects. He has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of design, project development and project management in leading German and international companies.
Edda Teneyken of the HafenCity Zeitung interviewed Dirk Hünerbein about “The Missing Centre of the City Coast”, in which he explains the largest project of his company; one of the largest real estate companies in the world. The most important aspects are as summarised here:
Mixed-use Development Approach
“Mixed-use development” means that all the functions of an urban district are closely coordinated. To this end, we combine a wide variety of uses in a well-balanced mix. We are building 650 apartments, offices for around 4,200 workplaces, three hotels, various cultural and entertainment facilities, shops, over 40 catering units and a state-of-the-art cruise terminal. This mix makes the southern Überseequartier an urban meeting place that will sustainably enliven the entire HafenCity and develop a radiance that will also attract national and international tourists.”
Cooperation with DC Developments
“DC Developments is responsible for development, implementation and marketing of the residential areas in the so-called Buildings A and E3 on San-Francisco-Street. Beforehand Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield will realize the retail areas on the lower floors. We are developing the southern Überseequartier as an open urban space, which will combine many different uses in a well-balanced way and at the highest level. Living is, of course, an elementarily important component. For this very local topic we have brought on board a competent partner with a lot of experience in Hamburg. The strategic partnership concerns round about 400 of the total of 650 planned apartments. We also want to create the best and most attractive concepts for Hamburg in the residential sector, where DC and we agree 100 percent.”
Current Construction Progress
“The project is within the timeframe we have set for ourselves. […] After installation of our own concrete mixing plant, the start of the structural engineering is planned for the upcoming months. The foundation stone will be laid in May.”
Own Concrete Mixing Plant
“The liquid concrete does not have to be delivered separately due to our own concrete mixing plant. This protects the access roads to the construction site, and the traffic and noise nuisance for the residents is kept as low as possible. […]“
Special Features and Innovations
“We are planning a series of innovative concepts in the southern Überseequartier. The main topics are mobility, traffic, virtual and augmented reality, start-up cooperations and digital networking. […] Intelligent building technology, smart logistics and traffic control systems or tailor-made solutions for retail and gastronomy concepts – all central dimensions of a digital city district are discussed right from the very beginning of planning. […] Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has set itself the goal of developing a forward-looking project for Hamburg and all its citizens with the claim and social responsibility of creating “better places”.”
Responsibility and Commitment
“We are committed to low-emission business, promoting new types of sustainable mobility at an early stage, integrating our business activities into local communities and involving our entire team and all stakeholders. […] For the southern Überseequartier this definitely means that we take responsibility for the local environment. […] Our aim is to create a place for Hamburg’s citizens and to involve the neighbours in the development process. We plan construction site inspections and always look for direct dialogue in order to take up the concerns and suggestions of the citizens.”
Hamburg benefits
“With the integral mixed-use approach we are creating an urban quarter that will be a benefit for all residents and visitors from near and far and ultimately the entire city of Hamburg. Of course, we are especially thinking of the people in the district itself – those living or working there – and this will become more and more the case with the eastern expansion of HafenCity. The southern Überseequartier is the missing building stone which will give the HafenCity an urban feeling, and with which residents can identify themselves. It reflects the pulsating life of modern Hamburg – without losing the character of the traditional city.”
You can read the complete interview again here. hier nachlesen.
