Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier – Timelapse of the Major Construction Project in Hamburg
- Dec 16, 2025
- 3 min read
A New Center for Hamburg’s HafenCity Is Emerging – The Timelapse Documentation of the Überseequartier
About the Project
In the heart of HafenCity, one of the largest and most ambitious urban development projects in Europe is taking shape: Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier. This multifunctional district uniquely combines living, working, shopping, and leisure, redefining Hamburg’s urban landscape. The Hamburg Überseequartier blends the modern architecture of HafenCity with a distinct Hanseatic atmosphere.
At the heart of the project is the HafenCity shopping center, serving as a vibrant hub for visitors from across the region. Here, innovative architecture, high-quality dining, and diverse shopping options come together, making the Überseequartier a place that goes far beyond its role as a shopping center.
Architecture, Planing and Construction of the Überseequartier
On a total area of approximately 419,000 m², a total of 14 buildings are being constructed, including about 580 apartments, office space for around 4,000 jobs, three hotels, and the HafenCity shopping center with approximately 170 stores and over 40 dining establishments.
The architecture combines modern materials with clean lines and features a delicate glass-and-metal roof that provides weather protection while shaping the shopping and leisure atmosphere in the courtyards. The construction phases were carefully coordinated, from the creation of waterproof foundations and diaphragm walls near the Elbe to the completion of complex structural frameworks and façades. The project places a strong emphasis on sustainability and resource efficiency and has been certified according to DGNB standards for sustainable construction sites.
Our Mission and Technology
MK Timelapse was commissioned to provide visual documentation of the Hamburg Überseequartier throughout the entire project period, from start to completion. In addition to two MK V40 timelapse systems for documenting the project, we deployed up to seven webcams on rooftops and construction cranes across the site for project management purposes.
Our cameras captured images around the clock at one-minute intervals, with a resolution of up to 40 megapixels. Our weatherproof housings and stable mountings were able to withstand the conditions on façades and construction cranes throughout the entire year.
During the 97-month construction period, the cameras collected footage that was integrated into our online monitoring tool, MK Siteview. This allowed clients and project stakeholders to track construction progress at any time, from different perspectives and according to each phase of construction. Some cameras were mounted on construction cranes up to 100 meters high to provide a complete overview of the site and the developing district.
During the project, several million individual images and multiple terabytes of image data were generated, which were used for timelapse films, live views, project management, documentation, and public relations.
Notably, the camera on the façade of the Intelligent Quarter is still running today, continuing to provide up-to-date images of the new district.
With this technical setup and our reliable monitoring, we were able to document the growth and development of the Hamburg Überseequartier in impressive detail.
Systems
2x MK V40 (+ Webcams)
Resolution
40 Megapixels
Interval
1 Frame a Minute
Highlights
MK Systems & Webcams in Deployment
Live Camera: A View on the Harbour
Our camera at the Intelligent Quarter continues to provide a spectacular live view of the Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier, the Elbe River, and HafenCity.
Visitors to our website can observe daily how the district comes to life, which ships pass by on the Elbe, and what the weather is like at the harbor.
View the live camera here: https://www.zeitraffer.org/westfield-hamburg-überseequartier-live-webcam https://www.zeitraffer.org/westfield-hamburg-überseequartier-live-webcam
A Major Construction Project that Endures
The Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier impressively demonstrates how modern architecture, urban planning, and sustainable construction come together in HafenCity. With our comprehensive timelapse documentation and live cameras, we were able to capture the development of the Überseequartier Hamburg over several years, making every stage of construction visible.
We would like to thank Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier for giving us the opportunity to document this unique project in our hometown with our timelapse cameras.
The completed timelapse film is now available on our YouTube channel.
🎬 Watch now: https://youtu.be/smWxRIB4tuk
More about our technlogy: https://www.zeitraffer.org/baustellenkamera
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