Grasbrookpark, HafenCity Hamburg

Playing in the harbour breeze

Konzept

As a versatile and verdant place to play, Grasbrook Park in HafenCity enjoys being one of Hamburg’s most popular play parks. The gentle modulation of the terrain establishes varied qualities for differentiated areas of quiet and activity. The park is surrounded by ship-like hedges of topiary plants. Besides play and climbing equipment, a water play area – with a water basin and three meandering waterways plus fountains and water spouts – forms the centre of the park. This reflects the design idea of a broad Elbe with many Elbe islands.

Children, adolescents and local residents were intensively involved in the design process during the preliminary design phase as part of a participatory procedure. The ideas from the civic participation process have been implemented as a palm-tree climbing forest with tree house, a slide and various swing bridges and climbing plateaus as well as a cross-generational playground area with full-body trainers. A toddler play area with a place for sand play and a mud table complements the broad range of offerings for diverse age groups.

Grasbrook Park adopts the materials used in the Western HafenCity, its yellow granite and concrete slab paving, and gives them structure with inlaid fields of ‘carpet’. The overall result is a park that continues HafenCity in form and function while also enriching the district’s amenable qualities with an additional valuable component.