One for All

Master of the planning process is Christoph Quick, Senior Design Manager of the largest building project in Europe: Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier. With a smile Quick explains that this essentially means he ensures that developers and owners get exactly what they want in a project. And it quickly becomes clear that this is a job with many challenges.

Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier is the largest project in which Christoph Quick has been involved. „There is nothing comparable in Germany, neither in size nor in complexity“. The complexity is shown by its various functions. In a few years people will live there, work there, go shopping, visit the cinema, a restaurant or go for a cruise. The planning efforts for such a project are immense: The requirements for residential buildings are different to those for office buildings and once again different to those for a hotel. Quick: „It is my job to reconcile all these requirements and take care that they will not interfere with each other.“
He is sure that his studies of history and social sciences are helpful, especially concerning humanity. Basic requirement are architectural studies because excellent professional understanding and geometric imagination are extremely important. Quick also needs to be flexible and always keep an eye on every tiny detail. Quick explains: „Altering a detail can have consequences for the whole quarter“. The point is to be able to overlook everything from different perspectives: professionally and humanely.

12 architects are participating in the forward-looking project of Hamburg’s HafenCity, and Christoph Quick is permanently in contact with each of them. „This quarter is an architectural Champions League“, he says enthusiastically. For Quick the iconographic buildings and the striking glass roof are of creative art. Each building is exciting; altogether they are a quarter. Quick emphasizes: „Finally, it is collective work, and a project of this size will only function, if all participants are working together with a mutual understanding towards the same target.”
Next to litres of coffee – the „ultimate drink of architects“ – a team of two construction engineers, one structural engineer, and a further architect are working together with the Senior Design Manager. The collaboration is very close which is not very astonishing considering the exciting and intense working days on the construction site. Even flat sharing is planned because many participants of the project are only staying in Hamburg during working days.

On weekends Christoph Quick stays with his family in the southern Ruhrgebiet. He has three daughters. To clear his mind he loves to cook; then, he can really relax. He spends his holidays with his family; mostly on city tours with a mobile camper. The next trip is already planned and will lead to Krakow. The relaxing phases are an important compensation as his work is very demanding. His greatest motivation is to build „good houses“ for users and operating companies; regardless whether it concerns a small conversion or one of the largest construction projects in Europe.