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Vogelkamp Neugraben
Overview
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Vogelkamp Neugraben:
Living close to nature

  • Total area:

    70 ha

  • Housing units:

    approx. 1.700

  • Leafy and open space:

    approx. 7,5 ha

  • Industrial real estate:

    approx. 15.000 m²

Vogelkamp Neugraben is uniquely located on the periphery of the city and in the direct neighbourhood of the ecologically important nature reserve and EU bird sanctuary of the “Moorgürtel”. At the same time, it has excellent transport links and is in the direct proximity of the centre of Neugraben (map). With the community centre BGZ Süderelbe and a large park with sports and games facilities, there is a diverse range of educational and leisure opportunities directly on site. Around 1,500 housing units will be created in a family-friendly mix of detached, semi-detached and townhouses, with some apartment buildings. With kindergartens, various local squares, a mobility station and many landscaped leafy spaces, the Vogelkamp is a liveable district on the periphery of the city. A new entrance to the Neugraben suburban railway station was opened in 2022. The main part of the district has already been sold and most residents have moved into their new homes.

Contact

Ronny Warnke

Project Coordinator

  • +49 040 226 227-0

Impressions from the district

  • Detached housing in Vogelkamp Neugraben

  • Apartment buildings in Vogelkamp Neugraben

  • Children’s playground in the park

  • Inauguration of the parkour area during the opening of the sport and games strip

  • Living on the local square in Vogelkamp Neugraben

  • Neighbours at the opening of the sport and games strip

  • Hamburg pilot project in Vogelkamp Neugraben: 8 euros per square metre net rent (not including bills)

  • Apartment building in Vogelkamp Neugraben


  • Yoga in the park

  • In the BGZ Süderelbe there are sport and cultural offers, a school and a kindergarten.

  • A nature learning route informs about urban nature

  • Yearly project dialogue with members of the public

  • Architects exchange 2014 in Vogelkamp Neugraben

Vogelkamp Neugraben is in the district of Neugraben-Fischbek in the borough district of Harburg, directly by the Neugraben suburban railway station. In a total of four phases of construction, approx. 1,500 housing units will be built, consisting of detached, semi-detached and townhouses. In places of importance to urban development, numerous apartment buildings will be added to the district, both on the edge of the new-built area in the north, by public squares and along the park. Almost the entire area is residential, with the exception of the planned development along the railway lines. Here, in the future, various commercial uses will arise. On the three local squares, meeting places for the neighbourhood, restaurants, kiosks, health-oriented facilities, a kindergarten etc. will be built. At the entrance to the district, there will also be provision made for day-to-day needs (a small supermarket, bakeries, restaurants). The education and community centre (BGZ) Süderelbe offers a wide range of leisure activities. In the direct proximity there is the approx. 5-hectare district park with a sport and games strip. There, alongside a children’s playground, a multifunctional sports ground (for football/streetball, basketball etc.), a beach volleyball field and a public parkour area have been created. The first three phases are largely complete and numerous families already live in the district. A public transport bus line has come into operation. Innovative plot allocation processes are intended to ensure design quality in Vogelkamp Neugraben and promote stable neighbourhoods. See also: qualities in the detached housing sector.

Respectful treatment of nature: learning – living – increasing neighbourliness

For Vogelkamp Neugraben (as for Fischbeker Heidbrook) the IBA Hamburg has developed the brand “Living close to nature”, derived from the area’s proximity to two large nature conservation areas. More than just a slogan, it also reflects an attitude, intending to stimulate the appropriate treatment of nature and the formation of neighbourhoods. This is why educational offers and neighbourhood activities were promoted from the outset. Of course, living close to nature also plays a role in the overall development of the district in many areas (housing, open space, mobility, energy efficiency).

Here are a few examples:

Cooperation with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU):

  • Informative event on nature-promoting garden design together with the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) – from insect-friendly plant selection to swallow nesting boxes on the bike shed (yearly)
  • Welcome package with NABU information material on topics related to nature
  • Construction of a nature learning trail on urban nature and the nature conservation area together with the NABU
  • Family tours through the Moorgürtel nature conservation area by NABU (yearly)
  • Installation of a stork eyrie


Education and information offers:

  • Information event on rainwater management and near-surface drainage on private plots (yearly)
  • Children create a bee-friendly flower meadow in Vogelkamp Neugraben
  • Regular information on selected themes in the newsletter


Living close to nature in district development

The following requirements and regulations have been determined for both districts in order to achieve the goal of a sustainable residential district of lasting value:

  • Near-surface drainage with troughs and channels offering habitats for plants and animals and strengthening the natural water cycle
  • As little land sealing as possible on private plots and public space
  • Energy standard of all new-builds is at KfW 55 or better.
  • Connection of all new-builds to a heating network with cogeneration/waste heat
  • Offers for electric carsharing
  • Native plants as hedging to enclose the plots, offering habitats for animals
  • Securing the stock of trees by a variety of measures
  • New tree planting on all plots, public spaces and streets

To ensure the quality of district development in the detached housing sector as well, supporting stable neighbourhoods and at the same time creating a harmonious and well-designed overall district, two special processes have been developed for Vogelkamp Neugraben: the architects exchange and the catalogue of houses. In the course of the architects’ exchange, the acquisition of a plot in the second phase of construction was linked to the implementation of an architectural design. With this process, used for the first time here in Hamburg, the focus was transferred from pure plot acquisition to the realisation of high-quality and affordable architecture. Seven architectural offices created a total of 14 designs for apartment buildings and townhouses, semi-detached and detached houses. The architectural offices involved included BEL, DFZ ARCHITEKTEN, Prof. Hirche Architekten, Wacker Zeiger Architekten, czerner götsch architekten, Heyden und Hidde Architekten and Plan-R-Architektenbüro Joachim Reinig.

The catalogue of houses named “Our suggestions for living close to nature” is a continued development of the architects exchange and was applied in the subsequent phases of construction. The goal was to offer the customer more choice and simplify the process, while assuring quality.

The house catalogue lists houses that are offered ready for occupancy from pre-fabricated house suppliers while at the same time meeting the quality and design requirements for the district development. All designs comply with energy standard KfW 55 or better. The offers were selected by a top-flight selection committee consisting of the representatives of various authorities and freelance architects. Alongside the implementation of one of these houses, there was also the option of submitting an architectural design. A Design Advisory Board, also occupied by the representatives of various authorities and freelance architects, watched over the quality of designs and decides whether they can be implemented in the district.

Through quality control, the IBA Hamburg ensures the implementation of the design requirements both in detached houses and apartment buildings.

Living close to nature

  • Episode 1: living with and in nature

  • Episode 3: Good architecture for a neighbourhood worth living in

What happens next?

The IBA Hamburg provides yearly information in the form of a public project dialogue on the current state of planning and answers questions from citizens. The district is almost complete. A new entrance to the Neugraben suburban railway station was built in 2022, and the final expansion of the roads will take place step-by-step. There will be a new legal land use planning process (NF 75) for the plots along the railway consisting of a mixture of residential and commercial developments. The competition process for this will be completed in 2023.

To project process

Find out more

Themes

Leafy and open space

Themes

Neighbourhood and Community