Official opening of the new Elbbrücken Underground station
HafenCity is the most important urban expansion area of the growing Hamburg metropolis. Forming an urban center at the end of the Baakenhafen basin, the new Elbbrücken district will close off HafenCity to the east. In order to connect the area to the local public transport system, the U4 Underground line has been extended to the Elbbrücken where, in combination with the future rapid transit railway (S-Bahn) station, an attractive interchange will be created. The Underground station, the roof of the S-Bahn station, and the connecting skywalk were designed by gmp and will be built in successive stages.
A special feature of the new Underground station is the fact that the railway track emerges from underground and continues above ground in parallel to the Elbbrücken bridges. Here, the architecture of the station will be a conspicuous focal point in the midst of the high-density urban center of the new district. In its highly exposed urban position on the River Elbe, in dialog with the Elbbrücken bridges, the design utilizes the technical possibilities available today to continue the theme of the imposing steel constructions of the past: the sweeping steel arches of the Freihafenelbbrücken and the “fish beams” of the Neue Elbbrücken. The roof construction with its ellipsoidal arch profile is created from crossing arched steel frames. The twisted steel beams are arranged to form a diamond-shaped grid pattern in which the individual arches stabilize each other. The structural members are outside the envelope—the glazing being supported on the inside—thereby achieving a conspicuous presence in the cityscape, creating an esthetic response to the adjacent Elbbrücken bridges. At both ends of the structure, the roof—following the diamond pattern—comes forward to a point that gives the station its dynamic flair, befitting a modern infrastructure building.
The different levels of the ticket hall, the platforms, and the two bridges for crossing the tracks are accessed via staircases, escalators, and elevators. The top steel bridge provides access to the skywalk that will connect the Underground station with the S-Bahn station. In this project, architecture and structural engineering are closely interconnected; the synthesis of these two disciplines is mandatory for the optimal development of such a project. The three-dimensional geometry was developed by gmp—Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners in cooperation with structural engineers schlaich bergermann partner already at the competition stage of the design, which was selected for construction by Hamburger Hochbahn AG.
