Winner of the Competitive Dialog

As the winner of the Competitive Dialog contest organized by the City of Hanau, HBB has started to completely restructure the city center of Hanau in the year 2011. The projects consist of different partial projects to be implemented in close cooperation with the City of Hanau over the next eight years. Goal: the qualities of the variousdowntown quarters shall be complemented, strengthened and linked with each other.

Shopping district Forum Hanau as a crowd puller

An important focus of the urban development project is on Freiheitsplatz square. On the western portion of the square, HBB will build the so-called Forum Hanau. It is supposed to become an extroverted gathering spot for retailers and service providers that are not yet present in Hanau. Apart from the integrated new city library and other public utilizations on the second floor, it will also include a total of about 22,500 m2 in retail space in the basement, on the ground floor and on the first floor of the planned buildings. It is supposed to include retail stores and restaurants with a cross-regional appeal. Thanks to its clever space utilization concept, the new bus terminal on the east side of the square will help saving a lot of space. The thus created free space will be designed as an outside area with great amenity value that will be used, among other things, as a farmers’ market area.  The Downtown retail and service center is expected to be opened for business in 2014.

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Culture center for the City of the Brothers Grimm

One of the focal points of the planning work taken on by the Düsseldorf-based architectural firm RKW Architektur + Städtebau is the Schlossplatz square. A new building will be added to the historic building, which is currently being used as a library. After construction work is complete, it will become the Brothers Grimm Culture Center which will also include a restaurant. A new four-star hotel with approx. 200 beds will round off the urbanistic ensemble on Schlossplatz square, which will then lose its public parking character and rather become a place where people can linger and enjoy themselves.

Enhanced infrastructure

Apart from the aforementioned projects, HBB will also be redesigning the public infrastructure in the downtown area in close cooperation with the city. This will not only include the new farmers’ market, but also an upgrading of the main traffic axes Hammerstraße, Fahrstraße and Rosenstraße. The square next to the Walloon-Dutch church, which is currently being used mainly as parking space, will also be upgraded. This is the most southern square of a series of squares that need to be emphasized as a whole. This will be the future site of a large park that will take advantage of the square’s huge free space potential.

Improved offer in residential space

Another one of HBB’s obliging tasks will be to upgrade the residential area in the southern city center. To that end, the so-called Westcarré right next to the Walloon-Dutch church comprising about 7,400 m2 will be demolished. The 50’s buildings with their poor building fabric will be replaced with modern, attractive residential buildings. The option to establish a joint project company with the city for that project is a matter of course for HBB. This way, HBB will also cover the residential aspect of comprehensive downtown development.

Cinema

The new Multiplex cinema has enchant its audience already since last year.