We are excited to announce that Team Karres en Brands en Gateways are selected for the first phase of "Extension of Hamburg Central Station and urban development of its surroundings".

Hamburg Central Station is the most important and largest train station in Northern Germany. More than 800 long-distance and local trains, and about 1,200 S-Bahn trains depart daily from 14 tracks. With more than 500,000 passengers a day, only Gare du Nord in Paris is frequented by more passengers in Europe. The capacity of the main station is reaching its limit due to a constant increase in passengers. A structural expansion of the transit hub is urgently needed.

The aim of the competition is to shape the fundamental further development of the main station and the surrounding urban area. For the necessary expansion of the station building, a form language that is precisely tailored to the location is to be developed, with all its challenges in terms of infrastructure and transit, urban redevelopment and the design of the public realm. ‍A total of 30 teams are selected in an application process that preceded the two-phase competition. In the second phase, ten agencies will remain to develop a detailed concept.

The City of Hamburg is the client of the project, in close cooperation with Deutsche Bahn (DB Station & Service AG).

Team Karres en Brands and Gateways are joined by local civil engineers from WTM Engineers, Hamburg, and spatial design strategists from Space Syntax, London.