The IBA Comes to a Close, but its Projects Remain

“The IBA says thank you and farewell”: after seven years, the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg came to a close with these words, and invited guests to a grand finale at the “Gateway to the World Educational Centre”. Many IBA participants, residents, local citizens, and specialists spoke at the event, looking back at what has been achieved, and forward into the future of the Elbe Islands. Over 600 guests were expected to attend. Before the celebratory farewell event, the Minister for Urban Development Jutta Blankau and IBA Director Uli Hellweg gave a positive assessment of the International Building Exhibition at a press conference.

Hamburg, 1 November 2013 - As the chair of the supervisory board of IBA GmbH, Hamburg’s Minister for Urban Development Jutta Blankau pronounced herself delighted with the International Building Exhibition: “The IBA signifies a massive leap in development for Wilhelmsburg, Veddel, and “Harburg Upriver Port”. The IBA has opened up new prospects for these districts and the whole of Hamburg. The achievements of the IBA must and will be continued and further developed in the future.”

IBA Director Uli Hellweg said: “The IBA is coming to a close, but its projects remain. Eight schools and learning facilities, four day nurseries, two retirement homes, over 1,200 new apartments, 500 redeveloped residential units, and 72 hectares of green space have been created, in addition to the Island Park, and will remain as a legacy of the IBA. This has given the districts a whole new look. In a nutshell, Hamburg has a brand new district.” Hamburg residents are decidedly curious about this “new district“: during the Presentation Year, which is now coming to a close, over 420,000 people attended exhibitions and tours, and made guided visits. “Alongside the actual projects and concepts, this tourist programme was the key to the success of the IBA Hamburg, and was enthusiastically taken up by the public”, said Uli Hellweg. As in previous years, when tens of thousands of specialists visited the first construction sites and special events, expert guests from all over the world descended on the IBA in 2013. According to Hellweg, “Hamburg has attracted massive attention among experts. Urban planners from China and the USA, architects from Scandinavia and South Korea, and representatives of universities and city authorities from all over Germany and the rest of Europe have visited the IBA in order to learn from what has been done here. Hamburg has also become an international model for innovative urban development thanks to the efforts of HafenCity and the IBA.”

A total of 63 construction projects have been completed or are underway as part of the IBA. About one billion euros have been invested over the seven years from 2006 to 2013 – a third from public funds and two thirds from the private sector. By 2020, private follow-up investments are expected to add another billion euros.

Visitors will be able to experience the International Building Exhibition up to 3 November, including taking a bus tour of selected IBA projects, among them the “Energy Bunker” and “Georgswerder Energy Hill”. Both projects will also be open on the Hamburg-wide “Night of Science“ on 2 November. Tours will no longer run after 3 November and the “IBA DOCK” will be closed to visitors, but the popular café on top of the “Energy Bunker” will remain open from Wednesday to Sunday. All of the other projects can, of course, be seen from the outside.



INFO BOX: numbers, dates, and facts about the Presentation Year

Start and end of the IBA presentation year: 23 March to 3 November 2013

A total of about 3,500 guided visits during the Presentation Year 2013
1,682 bus tours on the IBA Bus
80 cultural and other events
40 specialist conferences and events
12 exhibitions showcased the IBA Hamburg over the course of its Presentation Year

420,000 visitors so far (since 23 March 2013)

63 construction projects
7 further (cultural, social, and educational) projects

1,208 apartments (new builds) and 516 redeveloped older residential units
71,5 ha green spaces and 100 ha Island Park (previously the igs site)
More than € 1 billion invested (up to 2013)
Approx. 2/3 of investment from the private sector, and 1/3 from public funds



Images of the IBA presentation year:
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For further queries please contact:
IBA Hamburg GmbH, rainer.mueller@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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