Downtown Transformation 2.0
Stadthof Hanau - THE FUTURE IS NOW
The former Kaufhof building in the center of Hanau was transformed into the Stadthof Hanau, a new home for innovative business ideas and store concepts. This marks the beginning of one of the most courageous and exciting inner-city transformation processes in Germany. We have contributed our vision of the inner city of the future and ensured its realization in record time.
We know the situation: dying city centers here and there, vacancies and temporary solutions that don’t last the day. Why is that so? What can be done? We have been thinking about this. The short version: too often, people are not the first thing on the agenda. Too often, there is no vision that thinks beyond generations and leaves room for future developments. Too rarely do the relevant players courageously pull together. Too rarely do we see the big picture.
Things are different in Hanau.
THE ROAD TO THE STADTHOF
The milestones of the Stadthof project can serve as a blueprint for other cities and municipalities for a forward-looking inner-city transformation. Not everything has to be exactly the same, of course, but the idea, spirit, courage and drive needed can be seen here. We are talking about inspiring moments.
May 2023 \ Urban Future Festival S.O.U.P.
At our very own event, we present analyses, thoughts and solutions for the city center of the future. Why? Because it is a burning issue of our time. Because it is important for social cohesion, for human coexistence and for quality of life. And when we talk about quality of life, we also talk about quality of experience, about inspiring impressions and conditions that create synergies.
Lucky coincidence: Representatives of the city of Hanau are visiting our event because they are thinking along the same lines and have a similar vision of the future of the city center. Perfect!
Shortly afterwards, the Hanau representatives contact us with their own vision and we start hatching a plan.
FIRST STEP: HANAU PURCHASES KAUFHOF BUILDING
When a project of this kind gathers momentum, things start happening in parallel. Developments become intertwined, feeding off each other. These are the milestones of the Stadthof project:
March 2023 \ The Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof company announces that it is closing its branch in Hanau. Bad news? Not as we shall see. An opportunity has arisen.
25.09.2023 \ The structural and environmental committee of the city of Hanau discusses the purchase of the property. Good idea!
16.10.2023 \ The city council unanimously votes in favor of the purchase.
30.10.2023 \ Citizens’ meeting at the Congress Park Hanau. Wonderful, citizens are brought on board. We’re heading in the right direction.
January 13, 2024 \ The last day of business for Kaufhof Hanau.
March 18, 2024 \ Handover of keys to the city of Hanau. We immediately begin to change the outward appearance. The staged metamorphosis of the building begins.
But first, let’s go back a few months:
THE STADTHOF IS TAKING SHAPE
December 2023 \ We present our concept for the Stadthof to the city of Hanau and it is met with great interest. It is clear that the city officials and we are on the same page. We want to tackle the matter together. There is almost a sense of euphoria. We begin with the first concrete plans.
This includes, above all, the detailed redesign of the ground floor, the foundation of the Stadthof: design and conception of the layout, scheduling of all necessary renovation and conversion work, coordination of the various trades, planning of the staged transformation of the building.
To ensure that everything is completed in the shortest possible time, we are setting up a dedicated production office at the Stadthof site. We will be on site from November 2024.
THE HERCULEAN TASK \ COMPLETE STRUCTURAL REORGANIZATION OF THE GROUND FLOOR
It’s going to be a lot of work. That’s clear to everyone. And the question is in the air: can it be done? Some bet against it. Meanwhile, we’re getting started. So, take a breath, here we go:
March 2024 \ We are redesigning the façade of the ground floor: creatively foiled shop windows and light installations. What’s happening here? We want to arouse curiosity. This is not just a construction site, but a staged metamorphosis with a signal character.
Spring 2024 \ Foliation and light installations on and around the other floors, including LED strips on the roof and the installation of monitors in the shop windows. Information about the Stadthof and events in the city will be shown here.
Starting in July 2024 \ Demolition work on the ceiling on the ground floor for the ceiling cut-out above the central Agora. Sufficient space will be created upwards for the stage technology and the seating.
September & October 2024 \ Painting work on the Agora ceiling. The technical installations will remain visible on purpose. We want to create a contrast to the surroundings.
October & November 2024 \ We lay a new floor on the entire ground floor area of around 2,000 square meters.
November & December 2024 \ Painting work on the remaining ceiling, walls and columns. Design feature: the paths on the floor are reflected in color on the ceiling.
18.11.2024 \ We start with the preparatory work for the shop construction: setting up a workshop on site, setting up the production office, preparing the wooden frames for the shop walls, site measuring.
From December 2, 2024 \ Construction of the shop walls in their basic structure using our prefabricated wooden modules, followed by the interior planking of the shop walls by mid-January. At the same time, we will implement our new lighting concept.
January 2025 \ The ground floor façade is redesigned: Witty sayings and peep holes in the film-covered display windows arouse curiosity and allow a glimpse of the interior. They whet people’s appetite for what will soon be open to all.
>> The first shop is handed over to the city on February 7, 2025. Further handovers and tenants moving in will follow. <<
December 2024 to February 2025 \ While we continue to work on the shop structures: Construction of the Agora!
We are creating a central area as an attractive meeting place for the people of the city, an area with a high quality of stay and for communication, and a prominent place for events of all kinds – with no pressure to buy. In short, a modern agora with a seating area, grandstand, stage and open space. We are also installing sound technology, lighting technology and a LED wall for future communication and events.
February & March 2025 \ We apply floor graphics and decorations to the shops and their surroundings and set up art installations. We have acquired a range of artists for the art installations. The field ranges from cutout art, tape art, digital art and light art to temporary shop window design with AI art and the design of the stairwells. Furniture for seating areas outside the shops and for the Agora will be delivered and set up. At the same time, tenants will use the time to set up their shops and put the goods in them.
March 13, 2025 \ Ceremonial opening of the ground floor by Hanau’s Lord Mayor Claus Kaminsky and Ines Fröhlich from the Hessian Ministry of Economics.
We won the bet. Everything went according to plan. And by the way, it all looks almost exactly as we had visualized it in advance in the first renderings. That’s not something you experience every day.
WHAT HAPPENED THERE?
No less than a milestone on the road to the city of the future – with people in mind and not with consumption in focus.
The ground floor of the Stadthof has become a vibrant center, a place of exchange for the people of the city, an attractive meeting place. It is an inviting place with alleys and squares. A place to meet and participate with a great deal of experiential value. The functional department store character has completely disappeared. All the various spaces provided for this purpose have been rented out, the upper floors are also filling with life and, from the end of 2025, the basement will offer scope for trying out various individual concepts.
The way is paved for a good, exciting future. And the field for future developments has been cultivated.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to the city of Hanau for their trust and for their great commitment! We will continue to support the Stadthof with events and productions.
Photos: Anna Imm \\ Sven Bierwirt
Video: Sven Bierwirt