The Hamburg bunker at Heiligengeistfeld

The high-rise bunker at Heiligengeistfeld in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, built in 1942/1943, impresses with its imposing footprint of 70 x 70 meters, a height of around 40 meters and walls up to 3.8 meters thick. It is one of the largest of its kind. Over 25,000 people found shelter here from Allied air raids during the Second World War. Even after the war, the bunker remained a permanent feature of the cityscape and was used for other purposes for a long time, such as a media and music bunker.

The aim of the project was to transform the bunker into a modern, multifunctional building. The plan was to create space for culture, events and gastronomy as well as a spectacular roof garden with a view over the city. With this project, the bunker was not only to be architecturally upgraded, but also become a new cultural meeting point in Hamburg's St. Pauli district.

Eleven years ago, Hamburg entrepreneur Mathias Müller-Using, known for his innovative urban planning projects, began to realize his vision for the bunker: to preserve and protect the building and at the same time transform it into a green building. His concept was to construct a publicly accessible ramp around the building that winds its way up to a height of 60 meters. He was inspired by Oscar Niemeyer's Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói and the High Line in New York. This idea of breathing life into the massive architecture was initially met with skepticism, but the implementation showed that even urban monuments can deserve a second, green chance. The vision stood for more than just an architectural upgrade - it was an expression of sustainable urban change.

Together with architects Tim Schierwater, Michael Kuhn and INTERPOL Studios, Müller-Using began planning the greening and extension of the bunker and the construction of a rooftop park in 2013. The aim was to turn the former anti-aircraft bunker into a place for people to meet and live that both preserves its historical value and offers forward-looking, sustainable usage options. The architects focused on a harmonious combination of nature and concrete, resulting in a unique urban green project. The roof park in particular posed a special challenge, as it had never been implemented on such a massive structure in this form before. With the green ramp and the green roof areas, the bunker became a showcase project for sustainable urban renewal.

The green areas, including vegetable patches, a green ramp and a meadow on the roof, have turned the once forbidding building into a green oasis in the middle of the city. This transformation combines architecture, urban planning and sustainability in a unique way. The district association Hilldegarden e.V. supported this project, which offers access to the general public and creates a new living space with exceptional qualities. The vegetable patches and the meadow on the roof in particular show how important urban green spaces are for improving the microclimate and quality of life. The project also offers space for urban gardening, where residents can actively participate in caring for the plants. Today, the bunker is symbolic of the successful transformation of concrete deserts into lively, green urban oases.

With this conversion, the bunker at Heiligengeistfeld has become a symbol for dealing with wartime architecture and for creating sustainable, urban living spaces. The bunker is a reminder of the dark times of the Second World War, but its current use shows how a building from a difficult past can be transformed into a symbol of hope and renewal. Visitors can discover the history of the site while enjoying the green surroundings. This symbiosis of memory and future makes the bunker a unique place that not only reflects a chapter of German history, but also demonstrates the opportunities for urban renewal and sustainability. The bunker thus serves as a model for the sustainable use of architectural remains from the past.