In time for the timetable change on December 15, 2019, trains stopped for the first time at the new Elbbrückenmetropolitan railway (S-Bahn) station. 

With the opening of this stop, the Elbbrücken Underground and S-Bahn station have been completed in Hamburg, Germany and passengers can now change directly from the S-Bahn to the Underground system at this new public local transport interchange. 

Commuters will now have the opportunity to change trains here on their way to Hamburg city center, which will take some of the pressure off the main railway station. 

Like the Underground station that has already been completed, the roof of the S-Bahn station and the connecting Skywalk were designed by architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) in cooperation with the structural engineers schlaich bergermann partner (sbp).

HafenCity is the most important urban development project of the growing Hamburg metropolitan region. When completed, the Elbbrücken precinct, which is currently being designed and built, will – with its urban Elbbrücken center – eventually form the eastern end of HafenCity. 

This is also the location of a congress hotel with a 19-story hotel tower designed by gmp. In order to connect the new urban precinct to the local public transport system, the U4 Underground line has been extended to the Elbbrücken bridges and a new stop has been completed on the S3/S31 S-Bahn line. The resulting Underground and S-Bahn station provides an attractive interchange opportunity, particularly for city-center-bound commuters who live to the south of the Elbe River, which will take a significant load off the main railway station during rush-hours.

The Underground station and the design of the roof of the S-Bahn station display the same architectural signature, which means that the transport building and the Elbbrücken development appear as one entity. 

The design for the three-dimensional geometry of the steel and glass structure was submitted by the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) together with structural engineers schlaich bergermann partner (sbp) as part of a competition for the Underground station, with the intention of creating a modern reflection of the imposing historic Elbbrücken bridges, which are listed as a historic monument.

The special position of the Underground station – the line emerges from underground only just before the station and then runs at high level in parallel to the Elbbrücken bridges – creates different levels for the ticket hall, the platform, and the bridges crossing the tracks, which are accessed via steps, escalators, and elevators. 

The top steel bridge provides access to the Skywalk that connects the Underground station with the S-Bahn station. This 70-meter-long pedestrian bridge provides a barrier-free crossing over Versmannstrasse and the long-distance railway tracks.

In this design, architecture and structural engineering are closely interconnected; the synthesis of these two disciplines is mandatory for the optimal development of such a project. 

The roof structure of the Underground station and the S-Bahn station creates an ellipsoidal arch profile consisting of crossing arched steel frames. The twisted steel beams are arranged to form a diamond-shaped grid pattern, in which the individual arches stabilize each other. 

Both roofs are based on an eight-meter axial grid. The structural steel members are outside the envelope – the glazing being supported on the inside – thereby achieving a distinguished presence in the cityscape, creating an aesthetic response to the adjacent Elbbrücken bridges. 

In line with the diamond pattern, the roof ends at both gable sides are shaped in the form of conspicuous projecting points. Analogous to the glass hall of the Underground station, the envelope of the Skywalk also has an ellipsoidal arch cross section that has been constructed using curved safety glass. The glazed envelope provides protection from the weather and offers spectacular views across the roads, tracks, and Elbbrücken bridges.

Site plan

Plan

Section

Section

Project facts

Elbbrücken Underground Station

Competition: 2013 – 1st prize

Design: Volkwin Marg and Jürgen Hillmer with Stephanie Joebsch 

Competition Lead: Stephanie Joebsch

Competition Team: Bernd Kottsieper, Achim Wangler, Peter Radomski

Construction Documents: Lead Stephanie Joebsch 

Deputy Construction Documents Lead: Bernd Kottsieper

Construction Documents Team: Hendrik Winter, Renata Dipper, Bendix Fulda, Nicola Jeppel

Construction Management: Torsten Hinz, Raimund Kinski, Christian Kleiner, Andreas Schulz

Structural Engineering: schlaich bergermann partner (sbp)

Lighting Design: Conceptlicht

Height Access Technology: taw weisse

Client: Hamburger Hochbahn AG

Construction Period: 2016 – 2018

GFA: 3,750 m²

Length/Width/Height of Roof: 136 m / 32 m / 16.25 m

Roof Area: 5,985 m²

Link Building Between Elbbrücken Underground and S-Bahn Stations: Skywalk

Commission: 2014

Design: Volkwin Marg and Jürgen Hillmer with Stephanie Joebsch 

Competition Lead: Stephanie Joebsch

Competition Team: Achim Wangler, Johann von Bothmer

Construction Documents: Lead Stephanie Joebsch

Construction Documents: Team Bernd Kottsieper, Bendix Fulda, Nicola Jeppel, Radmila Blagovcanin

Construction Management: Klaus Hoyer, Raimund Kinski, Katja Poschmann

Structural Engineering: schlaich bergermann partner (sbp)

Lighting Design: Conceptlicht

Vertical Access Technology: taw weisse

Client: Hamburger Hochbahn AG

Construction Period: 2017–2018

Length/Width/Height: 70 m / 5 m / 4 m

Roof Area: 663 m²

All images © Marcus Bredt

All drawings © gmp Architects 

> via gmp