Topping-out Ceremony for the IBA’s Inselleben Project

The “Inselleben” (Island Life) housing project, in conjunction with the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg 2013, will see the creation of residential property between parkland and water, overlooking the new “Schloßinsel Park”. On Thursday 29 November 2012 investor Holger Cassens and the IBA Hamburg invited visitors to a traditional topping-out ceremony with all of the craftspeople involved. Along with Cassens and the IBA Director Uli Hellweg, the guest speakers were Chief Planning Officer Jörn Walter, Thomas Völsch from the Harburg District Authority, and Harald Krüger from the Hamburg-Harburg branch of the German Red Cross.

The IBA “Inselleben” project involves the construction of 25 apartments on a 2260 square metre plot. Fifteen of the apartments are publicly funded, while the remaining ten are privately financed. The new five-storey building also contains a day nursery. All of the apartments extend from the north to the south side of the building, giving them a spacious feel. Wide walkways on the park side of the building form a sort of urban front garden at the apartment entrances, as well as a communal space where people from the neighbourhood can meet. The “Inselleben” housing project is part of the new “Park Quarter”, as is the IBA’s “Boathouse” project. It borders the southern side of the new “Schloßinsel Park”.

Hamburg, 29 November - “The ‘Inselleben’ project sees the creation of a residential building on the Schloßinsel that combines traditional with unique elements in a striking way, by incorporating well laid-out floor plans and brickwork with a peerless setting overlooking the park and a remarkable energy concept,” said Jörn Walter, Chief Planning Officer for Hamburg. One of two new buildings that comprise the IBA’s “Park Quarter” project, the “Inselleben” development overlooks the “Schloßinsel Park” and is set amidst particularly attractive surroundings. The proximity of the water, in the form of “Harburg Upriver Port”, undoubtedly adds to the quality of the location. The “Upriver Port” is being further extended through additional IBA projects into a service and residential area.

Thomas Völsch, Director of the Harburg District Authority, said, “The ‘Upriver Port’ is increasingly becoming a more integrated part of Harburg’s inner city area. The ‘Inselleben’ housing project is really bringing life back to Harburg’s Schloßinsel. I am particularly pleased that the development will also house the area’s first day nursery, catering for 70 children.”

IBA Director Uli Hellweg added, “I am especially delighted to be able to participate in the topping-out ceremony for this IBA project, as it marks the second time that this investor has carried out a successful piece of work in conjunction with the IBA Hamburg, and has therefore shown his confidence in our efforts. In the ‘Inselleben’ project we are creating a new type of urban living that promotes the individual needs of the residents while also fostering a social neighbourhood feel within a building.”

The “Inselleben” development was designed by the Copenhagen-based firm of architects hauschild + siegel. Set in an attractive location between the parkland and the water, the five-storey residential building offers 25 new apartments ranging from 50 to 90 square metres in size. Some of the apartments are publicly funded, while others are privately financed.

All residents have access to a south-facing balcony that they have the option to plant, thus creating small gardens in the heart of the district. These balconies open out directly from the living and eating area, transforming the living room into a green space when the weather is fine. On the other side of the building, “Inselleben” borders directly on the new “Schloßinsel Park”. One special feature of this side is the array of parking bays, which act both as outside-facing storage areas and as a design feature on the northern brick façade. These offer the residents additional storage space for prams or bicycles.

According to Holger Cassens, the investor in the project, "After my first leap across the Elbe as the client, along with two partners, for the ‘New Hamburg Terraces’, persuaded me of the opportunities afforded by southern Hamburg, I was more than ready to seize this new chance to be involved in another IBA project, which again features a mixture of publicly and privately financed housing, as well as a day nursery. This time the German Red Cross was the sponsor, as opposed to the Workers’ Welfare Association. The progress of the construction work and the support offered by the IBA to date have only strengthened my conviction in the value of this project.”

The Hamburg-Harburg branch of the German Red Cross runs the new day nursery. Harald Krüger, District Manager of the Hamburg-Harburg branch of the German Red Cross, said, "The Harburg Red Cross is glad that a day nursery will be established in this attractive location from the very outset. From spring 2013 the Red Cross will care for 70 children here every day.”

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IBA Hamburg GmbH, Kristina Hödl, Head of Press Department, kristina.hoedl@iba-hamburg.de, Tel.: 040 / 226 227 335, or Anna Vietinghoff, Press Department, anna.vietinghoff@iba-hamburg.de, Tel:  040 / 226 227 – 331 or email presse@iba-hamburg.de

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