This island stands in the River Elbe in the centre of the principal German port city of Hamburg. Since its days as a Hanseatic port, Elbeiland has been subject to a sustained process of transformation with a dynamic that has yielded an incomparable diversity and flexibility. In response to the forces acting upon the island and to bring out the dynamic to full effect I have developed two strategic interventions. The first is a new management plan for the river, to increase the storage capacity and thereby lessen the chances of flooding. For this, measures need taking along the entire length of the Elbe, including reopening the closed-off arm at Elbeiland. This intervention calls into being a winter-river able to take up high water levels in the cold season. Excavating sand and cleaning the harbour basins generates new landscapes capable of developing along both urban and natural lines.

The second intervention concerns a new bypass linking the A7 in the west with the A1 in the east of Elbeiland. This is to meet the wish to better access the harbours on the one hand and lessen the pressure of traffic on the inner city on the other. The new slipway on Elbeiland enhances the island's accessibility level, opening the way to new opportunities for developing nature and commerce alike.

To examine the effectiveness and potential of both interventions, I carried out four random tests, taking care to note the changing perception of the water and the accessibility aspect. The nature-zone is the showpiece of the entire delta project. Recreational routes slice through numerous water projects and a varied landscape, linking the nature zone with the abutting landscapes. Part of the winter-river, the flood-forest encourages new natural landscapes at the junction of fresh and salt water and can be used by the nearby residential area. The technopolises profit from the new conditions in the cleaned-up harbour basins; this is where new living and working landscapes are to be found. Lastly, the exchange-island can be developed on the strength of the new motorway sliproad which provides the best possible accessibility. At the same time it profits from being close to the centre of Hamburg across the river.

Place of education: TU Delft
Specialization: urban design
Tutors: Han Meyer, Endry van Velzen & Inge Bobbink