Glass, Nature and Technology

Set along the Elbe river in Hamburg’s HafenCity, Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier is a new urban district developed using a master plan drawn up by the HPP Architekten practice. Covering over 400,000 sq. m of land with a strong shipping and port vocation, the project brings together housing, retail and office space, restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels, a multiplex cinema, medical and wellness facilities, and even a cruise terminal within a single, uninterrupted urban fabric. Conceived as an ambitious, cutting-edge addition to HafenCity – already Europe’s largest inner-city urban development project –, the district introduces a new, vibrant urban setting shaped by the collaboration and interaction of numerous international design studios.

A defining feature of the development is the transparent metal-and-glass roof designed by German architect and structural engineer Werner Sobek, which spans large sections of the internal circulation. Supported by 34 columns and shaped through complex geometries into an organic profile, the roof defines a dynamic spatial presence that extends across the entire site. This formal language is echoed in the interior spaces, whose designs draw on Hamburg’s identity as a port city, referencing the sea and the river as well as an array of maritime materials and underwater landscapes.

Kuraray played a central role in the roof’s construction, supplying two high-performance glass interlayers produced by its Advanced Interlayer Solutions (AIS) Division. In total, over 8,500 glass panels were required, each with a unique, custom shape and size. For the roof, Trosifol^® PVB interlayers were selected primarily for their excellent light transmittance, low yellowing index and structural integrity. For the façades, the larger panels were laminated with SentryGlas^® ionoplast to improve their strength and durability. All panels were also given a solar-control coating. From below, the roof opens upward, its transparency drawing the eye toward the sky and admitting natural light deep into the interior. Then, between the glass panels, a dense structural network comes into view: a metal lattice held together by more than 4,500 steel nodes.

Through the combined use of form and material, the district has reduced its overall environmental impact and associated CO₂ emissions. All buildings have achieved BREEAM Excellent and DGNB Gold certification, anchoring the project within a broader approach to urban transformation that engages both HafenCity’s maritime legacy and future.

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Courtesy Kuraray

Courtesy Kuraray

Courtesy Kuraray

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