SPACE November 2024 (No. 684)
Project Niederhafen River Promenade
Architect Zaha Hadid Architects
Location 20459, Jan-Fedder-Promenade, Humburg, Germeny
Length 625m
Width 10m
Competition year 2006
Construction period 2011 – May 2019
Opening May 2019
Client Department for Roads, Bridges and Waterways (LSBG), City of Hamburg
Feb. 1962 A major flood hits Hamburg, this disaster becomes a turning point for Hamburg’s flood preparedness
1964 – 1968 Planning and construction of new flood prevention infrastructure, a 7.2m barrier is installed along the banks of the Elbe River
2006 After a detailed analysis and simulation of the Elbe River flood characteristics, it was determined that the barrier height needed to be increased by 80cm, and the existing barrier structure required reinforcement due to aging
2006 International design competition held
2011 – 2015 Phase 1 of construction is carried out
2015 – 2019 Phase 2 of construction is carried out
May 2019 Completion and opening to the public
Decision-Making Based on Collective Memory
In February 1962, Hamburg was hit by a record-breaking flood. A storm surge, reaching a height of 5.7m, swept across Germany’s northern coast and into the Elbe River, breaching 63 dikes and flooding the city. In a single day, 315 residents lost their lives, and the homes of over 60,000 people were submerged. Electricity and gas supplies were cut off, and the city’s infrastructure was completely destroyed. It was a disaster for which no one was prepared. The experience left a lasting impact, not just on the affected communities but also on Hamburg as a city and the nation as a whole.
After the flood, political discussions began in Hamburg about the need to modernise the city’s flood defences. Hamburg, historically Germany’s largest port city connecting much of Europe, had long been vulnerable to recurring floods in the lowlands along the Elbe River. However, in the later part of the twentieth century, factors such as the reduced role of the port and the focus on rebuilding after wartime bombings had shifted attention away from maintaining the dikes. It was only after the 1962 disaster that Hamburg recalculated the dike design levels, rebuilt the defences, constructed flood walls and gates, and emphasised disaster preparedness and institutionalised safety measures. As a result, Hamburg now boasts a 103km-long public flood defence system.
The memory of the great flood has been passed down through generations and remains highly relevant in the collective conscious today. Storm surge protection continues to be one of Hamburg’s top priorities, especially given the constantly shifting predictions about climate change. The city’s significant investment in flood defence has broad public support, stemming from a shared decision-making process grounded in this collective memory. On its official website, the city maintains a section on the ‘1962 Flood’, where it provides information about the disaster, eyewitness accounts, a timeline of events, and explains modern flood defence measures, while also collecting feedback from the public. Citizens actively contribute to this narrative by publishing memoirs reflecting on changes in local policies since 1962 and by initiating student-led projects to record and preserve related memories, building the foundation for continued civic engagement.
The Role of the Administrator
Storm surge protection in Hamburg isn’t just about safety—it’s tied to the city’s economic development, tourism, and urban planning. City of Hamburg set out a 20-year plan to address these challenges, and the Niederhafen River Promenade is a key part of that vision.
In 2006, the need to rebuild the flood barrier at Niederhafen Harbor came into focus. Using modern simulations and detailed analysis of future flood risks, researchers found that the original 7.2m barrier, built in the 1960s, needed to be raised by at least 80cm. When the city inspected the structure, they discovered that the support elements were overstressed, and the foundations were in dire need of reinforcement.
Niederhafen Harbor is in a crucial spot, both historically and geographically. It borders Speicherstadt, a historic warehouse district, and connects to HafenCity, home to the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall (Herzog & de Meuron, 2017), one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Recognising the importance of the location, Hamburg launched an international design competition to rebuild the flood barrier. The brief included several key requirements: the new barrier had to include an attractive promenade, be suitable for multiple uses, function as a multi-level passageway, create several intersections with the city, and help define the city’s landscape. Olaf Müller, person in charge of department for Roads, Bridges and Waterways (LSBG), summed it up: ‘Storm surge protection is not just a commitment to safety; it’s also a commitment to beauty.’▼1
Zaha Hadid Architects’ winning design was praised for its careful consideration of the ‘harmonious visual relationship between Kehrwiederspitze, the future Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall, and the Rickmer Rickmers ship’. This stood in contrast to the design from Arbos Landscape, which included high-rise buildings along part of the promenade—an idea criticised for being ‘visually unappealing and blocking the view of the background buildings, requiring a reduction in size’.▼2
The Role of the Architect
Zaha Hadid Architects describes the Niederhafen River Promenade as having a ‘simple appearance’▼3, but what happens there is anything but simple. The linear structure, designed for flood protection, stands 8.6m to 8.9m high, 625m-long, and at least 10m-wide, providing ample public space for pedestrians, joggers, street performers, vendors, and cafés.
The architects focused on the ever-changing landscape created by the tides of the Elbe River. Patrik Schumacher, who co-led the design with Zaha Hadid, noted that while the original flood barrier did serve as a walkway, it didn’t allow for close interaction with the water. With only one entrance and exit, the walkway was disconnected from the city, functioning more like a massive barrier. To address this, the architects designed cone-shaped staircases, which alternate between opening towards the river and towards the city, reconnecting the two. These staircases face various urban intersections, like Stubbenhuk and Neustädter Neuer Weg. The promenade itself narrows and widens at different points, creating a unique sequence of spaces. Depending on their size and orientation, the cones have become popular gathering spots where tourists take photos, while others are quiet spaces for residents to relax and enjoy the view.
The construction was challenging. More than 20 engineering firms and 13 construction companies were involved in figuring out how to execute the project. Groundbreaking took place in 2012, and the work was completed in two phases, with the promenade finally opening to the public in May 2019, 7 years later. There were two main reasons for the delay. First, construction had to pause every October to prepare for winter’s frequent storms, ensuring that the flood barrier remained at a safe height. Second, throughout the construction, alternate routes were carefully maintained to preserve access to the promenade’s scenic views, allowing the walkway to remain open to the public. Thanks to this effort, the promenade continued to be a beloved spot for both locals and tourists, even during the construction period. ‘Connecting, instead of separating’: this is the catchphrase used by Hamburg’s climate protection authority to promote the Niederhafen River Promenade. What seems like an ordinary riverside path is actually an intricate connection between the city and the river, offering residents and visitors alike a new place to create memories.
1. Olaf Müller, Gabriele Gönnert, Clais von Mirbach, Karsten Winat and Michael Schaper, ‘Bemessung und Architektur im urbanen Küsten- und Hochwasserschutz’, Dresdner Wasserbauliche Mitteilungen 65 (2021), Dresden: Technische Universität Dresden, pp. 31 – 41.
2. Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, Architektur Olympiade Hamburg 2006, Hamburg: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, 2006, pp. 32 – 35.
3. World Architecture Festival 2021 presentation, ‘WAF 2021 – LANDSCAPE OF THE YEAR – Niederhafen River Promenade, Zaha Hadid Architects’ YouTube, 1 Feb. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO2feM2YasQ, accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
