Up and up to the roof terrace
The Dockland is a popular destination at Hamburg’s port for tourists and locals alike. The six-storey glass and steel building looks right at home overlooking the Elbe — its parallelogram silhouette gives the distinct impression of a ship.
Those who successfully master the 136-step wood and glass staircases to the public viewing platform will be rewarded with a beautiful view: the Elbe, the Hamburg skyline, the neighboring Cruise Center Altona and maybe even a cruise ship just on the wharf. Especially at sunset, the Dockland platform offers one of the best photo opportunities in the city. The fish market and Oevelgönne are each only one ferry stop away from Dockland, and the Christianskirche church and the Altona Town Hall are within 15 minutes walking distance.
Creation
The building was designed by Hamburg architecture firm Bothe Richter Teherani in 1995. However, before the design could be realized, one of the most important prerequisites for the project's success was the dumping of sand on the banks of the Elbe. The approximately 132-metre-long Dockland was inaugurated on 31 January, 2006 and awarded the architectural Leaf Award in the Best Structural Design category in 2005 and the German Steel Construction Prize in 2006.
Dockland: business with a view
The many offices that call the Dockland home don’t need to worry about nosy tourists looking in on meetings. The office space is not visible from the 500 square meter roof terrace, so that the tenants can work undisturbed. And to match the uniqueness of the sloping architecture and the glass façade, the office building was equipped with other special features, such as a diagonal passenger elevator. A special highlight is the sloping overhead dome at the top of the building from looking directly into the water and thus giving the feeling of being in the middle of a luxury liner.
Nordakademie
The fact that an entire college is housed in the Dockland gives an idea how spacious the office building really is. The NORDAKADEMIE Graduate School offers a range of courses to almost 1700 students.
Getting there
Dockland is located at Van-der-Smissen-Straße 9, 22767 Hamburg. The most direct ways to reach the building are by ferry line 62 to the stop Dockland (Fischereihafen) or bus line 111 to the stop Fährterminal Altona.
Alternately, you can walk quite easily from Bahnhof Altona in approximately 20 minutes.
For more information on the Dockland, visit Hamburg Tourism.
