Foundation stone laid for 460 apartments: The diverse future of the Max Brauer Quartier in Hamburg-Ottensen

On the former Euler Hermes site in Hamburg-Ottensen, the foundation stone for the Max Brauer Quartier has been laid. In front of around 250 guests, Hamburg’s Senator for Urban Development, Dr. Dorothee Stapelfeldt, and Altona district director Dr. Stefanie von Berg, together with Quantum, symbolically placed the time capsule this afternoon.

On the 25,000 m² site at the corner of Friedensallee and Bahrenfelder Kirchenweg, Hamburg-based developer Quantum is creating a vibrant district with more than 460 rental and owner-occupied apartments, 1,200 m² of office space, as well as a café and a daycare center. More than 160 of the apartments will be publicly subsidized rental units, specifically for households with low incomes.

“The heart of the new district will be an urban neighborhood square with spacious play areas and outdoor dining. Cars will be deliberately kept out of the Max Brauer Quartier. Underground parking garages with over 400 spaces will be built, many equipped with EV charging stations. In addition, the garages will house well over 1,000 bicycle and e-bike parking spaces, including charging facilities,” says Philipp Schmitz-Morkramer, member of the management board at Quantum.

The district is divided into four differently shaped building blocks with 6–7 and, in some cases, 8 stories. These are surrounded by landscaped courtyards. The flat roofs of the buildings will also be greened and equipped with photovoltaic systems. One building block incorporates the original industrial architecture with a sawtooth roof, creating a spatial and architectural link to the small-scale historic Hall 7 on the neighboring Kolbenhöfe.

The new district is named after Max Brauer. The birthplace of Hamburg’s first democratically elected mayor once stood on the site. The Max Brauer Quartier is being built according to designs by Schenk Fleischhaker Architekten from Hamburg, who won a two-phase competition in 2015. The general contractor is northern German construction company Richard Ditting GmbH & Co. KG.

The first residents are expected to move in at the end of 2024. The entire Max Brauer Quartier is scheduled for completion in mid-2025. Sales of owner-occupied apartments will begin this autumn. Registrations for rental apartment applicants are expected to be possible from summer 2024.