HafenCity: Überseequartier

The subarea known as Überseequartier gives this part of HafenCity a more precise local identity. It is best understood through the immediate combination of housing, everyday routes, nearby open space and the way local streets connect with the rest of the district. Treating Überseequartier separately helps expose small-scale differences in urban form and daily life that are easily lost when HafenCity is described only as one large area. Historic warehouses and quays around the Speicherstadt meet new residential blocks, offices, universities, hotels and cultural buildings arranged around canals, harbour basins and public promenades. The Elbphilharmonie is the dominant landmark, while places such as the Magellan Terraces, Lohsepark, Überseequartier and Baakenhafen give different parts of the district distinct identities. Buildings and streets are raised on flood-resistant plinths, allowing lower quay levels to remain close to the water and occasionally flood.