Forward-looking district ‘Jenfelder Au’ is IBA Hamburg reference project

Quarter Jenfelder Au: cooperation agreement signed

A major step on the path to the planned urban community "Jenfelder Au" has been taken - with the signing of a trilateral agreement, Thomas Ritzenhoff, head of the local council office in Wandsbek, Hamburg Wasser Managing Director Dr. Michael Beckereit, and IBA Managing Director Uli Hellweg sealed their collaboration on the pioneering urban development project featuring 770 residential units. Two main factors make the Jenfelder Au project unique: the urban planning concept behind it and the innovative wastewater treatment system HAMBURG WATER Cycle. Coordinating the project as a whole is the city district of Wandsbek, while Hamburg Wasser is responsible for the HAMBURG WATER Cycle and the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg will present and promote the project, which has already received numerous awards.

Hamburg, 15 May 2012 – In north-eastern Hamburg, where the districts of Jenfeld, Tonndorf and Hohenhorst converge, the city's largest new residential area is being constructed. A 35-hectare site of the former Lettow-Vorbeck barracks is being revitalised to offer some 770 residential units from 2013, 630 of which are being newly constructed. Part of the barracks buildings, which date to the 1930s, are historically listed and will be preserved. A mixed concept is foreseen for the conversion of the barracks site that was closed in 1998, featuring a viable blend of residential housing, green spaces, and commercial areas. "We are pleased to be represented outside of our project zone in Hamburg with our pioneering IBA reference project Jenfelder Au. The new district combines new, high-quality urban development integrating the historic barracks buildings with high standards in terms of public space and the environment," said IBA Managing Director Uli Hellweg.

The district is being developed according to a proposal submitted by Rotterdam-based West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture, which was the awarded the commission from the City of Hamburg in a 2006 urban planning competition. They designed a network of public green spaces including the expansive Cascade Park, Kuehn Brook Pond (Kuehnenbachteich), and the smaller Star Park (Sternpark), surrounded by small-scale urban residential housing units. In future, radishes will grow in tenant allotment gardens that will be landscaped between the listed barracks buildings on the former parade grounds.

For large parts of the district, the urban plan foresees two-storey townhouses with gardens, complemented by multiple-storey buildings containing residential flats. Different types of housing will thus be mixed in together, creating a diversity that not only produces a vivid visual impression; viewed on a larger scale, it also creates a harmonious, uniform neighbourhood image. "Jenfelder Au will be a sophisticated urban district characterised by a marked degree of sustainability. With 770 residential units, Wandsbek will also be making an important contribution towards alleviating the tight housing market in Hamburg," explained Wandsbek district office chief Thomas Ritzenhoff.

Lots are being marketed by the real-estate management arm of the city tax office. In addition to investment opportunities for residential developers, who will later market flats and condominiums to prospective tenants and buyers, plans envision some parcels of land being sold directly to future residents. The latter group will be able to individually plan and build their own townhouses in line with the zoning plan and design guidelines. In addition, lots are being reserved for cooperative building associations; for more information, contact the city agency for joint building associations (Agentur fuer Baugemeinschaften): www.hamburg.de/baugemeinschaften.

The IBA Hamburg reference project is being realised by the district government of Wandsbek in special partnership with HAMBURG WASSER based on the HAMBURG WATER CYCLE® concept, which takes a holistic approach to wastewater disposal and energy supply in urban areas. "Jenfelder Au will be the first neighbourhood in Hamburg to remove black water (toilet wastewater) from the newly constructed homes using a separate vacuum sewage system and then used it to produce energy." The fact that we are using sewage water as a renewable energy source means that the system supplies its own energy and makes an important contribution to CO₂ reduction," said HAMBURG WASSER Managing Director Michael Beckereit.

The biomass component of the black water will be converted into biogas, which in turn will be fed to a power plant and used to generate electricity and heat for the community. The remaining "grey water" from kitchen and bathroom will be purified in the neighbourhood's own plant and can subsequently be reintroduced to the natural water cycle. Beyond that, rather than disappearing into the municipal sewer system, rainwater will be contained in the newly constructed Kuehn Brook Pond (Kuehnbachteich). In future, solar thermal systems may meet as much as 50 to 70 per cent of annual hot-water demand.

Jenfelder Au is a pilot project within the framework of Germany's national urban development policy and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS).

What are IBA reference projects?
IBA reference projects are located beyond the geographical borders of the actual presentation area of the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg, which focuses on Veddel, Wilhelmsburg, and the Harburg inland port. Substantively, however, IBA reference projects are entirely compliant with IBA criteria. As is the case with the numerous projects on the Elbe Islands and in the inland port of Harburg, they represent the key themes of IBA Hamburg and thus transmit IBA ideas to the entire city.

For the latest images and graphics of the project, go to the following link: Link: iba-hamburg.eyebase.com
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For more information, please contact:

IBA Hamburg GmbH
Kristina Hödl, Director of Media Relations
kristina.hoedl@iba-hamburg.de
Tel.: +49 (0)40 / 226 227 335, or

Anna Vietinghoff, Media Relations
anna.vietinghoff@iba-hamburg.de
Tel: +49 (0)40 / 226 227-331, or
presse@iba-hamburg.de