
The concept “City Olympics 2012 in Hamburg” for the Olympic Summer Games bid referred the urban concentration of almost all sports activities within a radius of 10 km around the Olympic centre in the heart of the city.
The Olympic Games scheme was a component of an already initiated urban development. The design proposes the generation of new urban districts for principle facilities such as the Olympic stadium, indoor swimming pool, Olympia Dome, Olympic Village and media centre on partial areas of the Hamburg harbour (in the HafenCity and on Kleiner Grasbrook as well as on both sides of the Norderelbe). Favourable traffic links guarantee short duration of trips to the other places of events, whilst the proximity to the city centre favours the cultural and personal exchange of athletes and visitors with the local residents.
Additional sports facilities preferably rely on the existing, internationally renowned sports and event locations, which can be extended and used after the Olympic Games, consequently fulfilling the fundamental criteria of sustainability. Further temporary sports facilities are constructed, which can be dismantled after the termination of the Games, and additional locations in neighbouring Federal German States are included in the bid.
The central location of the dense Olympia Park simultaneously offers the ideal urban landscape precondition for the intended subsequent function in the form of residential, commercial, leisure, and health usage.
The guiding principles for the “City Olympics 2012 in Hamburg” were therefore not only “The Games at the Water” and “The Games of Close Proximity”, but also indicated the sensible use of existing structures and sports facilities and the economical use of existing resources.
Peter Wels