Partial building permit granted for excavation and foundation
The Department of Urban Development and Housing of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has granted partial building permission for the excavation pit and foundation components for the Elbtower. In order to prepare for the completion of the Elbtower, work has now begun on the excavation pit enclosure in HafenCity Hamburg.
This is not the start of construction yet, which is tied to the handover of the land currently still owned by the City of Hamburg, but rather the preparatory measures for construction. “With the partial building permit, we are taking the first step towards the construction of the Elbtower”, says Timo Herzberg, CEO SIGNA Real Estate. “Even before construction starts, we can begin with preparatory measures on the construction site. Our thanks go to our planning partners and the many people involved in the authorities for their constructive cooperation. The Elbtower is already enjoying high demand from prospective tenants, with around 30% of the total space already let.”
The partial building permit for the foundations and establishing the excavation pit significantly shortens the construction time for the building. This increases planning security for SIGNA as well as for the City of Hamburg. It is also a clear signal to potential tenants that the implementation of the Elbtower is progressing successfully.
»With the partial building permit, we are taking the first step towards the construction of the Elbtower.«
Preliminary work on the construction pit
Some 18,000m² of sealing walls and 4,700m² of diaphragm walls are being constructed for the excavation pit enclosure on the site at the Elbbrücken (Elbe bridges) over an area of around 21,000m² – which is the equivalent of about three football pitches. These walls go 55 metres deep into the ground. About 130,000m³ of earth will be excavated for the construction pit, which corresponds to a cube with a side length of about 50 metres.
SIGNA commissioned a consortium comprising ZÜBLIN Spezialtiefbau, Implenia Spezialtiefbau, EGGERS Tiefbau and EGGERS Umwelttechnik with the planning and execution of the construction pit and deep foundation. The consortium produced a total of 63 pile foundations with 2m diameters and lengths of 75m for the deep foundation.
The Elbtower is a high-point of urban planning
The 245m-high, 64-storey Elbtower was designed by the renowned architectural firm David Chipperfield Architects. The Elbtower will make up the eastern end of HafenCity, it will be visible from a distance, and act as an introduction to the entrance to Hamburg on the Norderelbe and the new adjacent major urban development projects Grasbrook and Billebogen. SIGNA Real Estate is responsible for this project. The company has been developing and managing outstanding real estate projects in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy for over 20 years.
