Baakenhafen day care centre, Hamburg

PORR Building Construction North Region is the general contractor responsible for building a special day care centre in Hamburg’s HafenCity for SterniPark GmbH: The 8-storey building in the Baakenhafen neighbourhood, designed for up to 250 children, has a striking organic design and unique view of the harbour. The Team will handle the planning and execution of the construction pit and the deep foundation.

Developable land is scarce in HafenCity, which is why practically all the buildings are used in their entirety: from the flood-proofed ground floor up to the roof. The new day care centre in the Baakenhafen neighbourhood, which is being built on both sides of the longest harbour basin to the west of the Elbbrücken quarter, is no exception. The day care centre forms a single architectural unit with an adjoining primary school, also newly built, where some facilities are also shared or open for public use. While the school will have a gymnasium in the basement, the day care centre will feature a teaching pool on the ground floor –

this reflects a core goal of the operator SterniPark: to enable as many children as possible to experience and enjoy the element of water. The building will also house a technical school, a café for parents and a counselling centre for families.

A tree trunk as a symbol for growth

The German word Kindergarten is understood around the world. Danish architects Werk Arkitekter have given the term a literal interpretation in their design. Two “tree trunks” with firmly established functional areas form the organic core. The kindergarten itself is designed around it and includes group rooms and spacious areas that can be used for a variety of physical activities. The architects wanted green play areas running through the entire building up to the roof terrace with its playground and children’s restaurant. Limbrock Tubbesing Architekten developed and refined the concept in a draft structure and during execution planning. All the facades on the upper floors will have vegetation growing up the walls.