ADEPT and Karres+Brands win master plan competition for one of Germany's largest developments

‘The Connected City’ proposal by ADEPT and KARRES+BRANDS has won the master plan competition for a development area, Oberbillwerder, close to Hamburg. This will be one of Germany's largest developments. The master plan will include about 1.000.000 m² of mixed use development including housing, business, shopping, public buildings, and recreational activities. 

Located between the countryside and Hamburg, Oberbillwerder offers the potential for a cultivated farming landscape and suburban environment. Connected City's infrastructure design will include easy connection to the city center while also prioritizing pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport.

Running throughout the development a greenway will connect neighborhoods, public buildings, and recreational activities to unifying the entire area. The overall development strategy embraces social, financial, and environmental sustainability as well as climate adaption though a nuanced distribution of functions, typologies and resources. 

The plan includes an array of climate adaption design including wide canals, large green rain beds, and narrow blue streams or concave street profiles. Connected City aims at developing unique housing typologies and collective facilities through providing three main options. Future inhabitants will be able to choose from the environments of canal living, landscape living, or urban living. 

Name: The Connected City

Type: Competition 1st prize
Program: Mixed-use masterplan
Client: Hamburg Stadt, IBA Hamburg
Size: 360 ha / 124 ha Location: Oberbillwerder, Hamburg
Year: 2018
Collaborators: KARRES+BRANDS, Transsolar, Büro Happold, Kraft
Image credits: ADEPT, KARRES+BRANDS, Doug & Wolf (aerial)

Team: Martin Laursen, Martin Krogh, Anders Lonka, Tatyana Eneva, Jens Peter Nielsen, Michala Lietavova, Krasimir Krumov, Sylvester Ellekær Michaelsen, Rikuro Sakaushi