How do you build a pool?
Many dream of it - Together with TERRAGON AG, we are fulfilling the wish of the future residents of VILVIF Hamburg to have their own pool.
On 22 February, the installation of the swimming pool on the second floor took place - a logistical masterpiece in the midst of one of the largest construction sites in Europe. The senior living project has already found an investor in Aachener Grundvermögen.
On Tuesday, 22 February, the swimming pool found its way into the future spa area of VIVLIF Hamburg. The senior living project in the middle of the southern Überseequartier is being built in cooperation with TERRAGON AG. On around 21,500 square metres, we are developing 186 premium flats specially designed for best agers in a joint venture. The flats are located on the 2nd to 7th floors of the building and include floor plans ranging from 40 to 180 square metres. In addition, service and communal areas are planned on the second floor for the residential concept developed especially for the location: In addition to a green inner courtyard and roof garden, there will be a public restaurant, a studio and a spa and fitness area with sauna, Kneipp path and swimming pool.
"I feel light, like a feather!"
A few laps in the swimming pool in the morning? Then have breakfast and start the day in a good mood. Regular physical activity is important, especially as we get older. Experts and sports enthusiasts recommend swimming in particular - for children, for adults and for senior citizens.
Here are four reasons to swim a few laps
The offer of the swimming pool ideally complements the senior living concept of the VILVIF Hamburg with a target group-oriented communal area. Garbe Immobilien-Projekte and joint venture partner Terragon have already found an investor for the project development in Aachener Grundvermögen.
Wie der Pool seinen Weg ins VILVIF Hamburg fand
The Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier construction site is one of the largest inner-city construction sites in Europe. The mixed-use project consists of a total area of 419,000 square metres. In the future, more than 40 gastronomy units as well as entertainment and cultural offerings will enliven the area. In addition to offices with space for 4,000 workplaces, three hotels and a cruise terminal, a large number of flats will be realised.
Right in the middle - The VILVIF Hamburg.
The tight schedule and the large number of buildings and uses require a high degree of coordination in construction site logistics. Furthermore, there are high demands on our construction expertise. To ensure quality standards, up to 350 planners and craftsmen work on site.
But how do you build a swimming pool on the first floor?
The senior community living project VILVIF Hamburg is being built on a floor slab above the retail areas of Unibail- Rodamco- Westfield. Construction started punctually at the beginning of 2022. Despite the challenges caused by the Corona pandemic, the project is progressing according to plan.
On the night of Tuesday, 22 February, the swimming pool for the future spa area was delivered. In the early hours of the morning, our project management from Garbe Immobilien-Projekte and our partner Terragon, together with the team from KUPSCH Schwimmbadtechnik GmbH, welcomed the special transport to the 4,157 m² VILVIF construction site in HafenCity. From 7 a.m. onwards, the fitters from the VPS company began preparing for the lift-in. From a low-loader, a crane inserted the pool into the shell. The pool was delivered in one piece and measures 3.20 by 9.20 metres. The entry into the later second floor of the building was precision work. The pool had to be threaded between the already assembled concrete supports from above. There were only three centimetres to the right and left - a logistical masterstroke.
"The lifting of the pool was exciting for all of us. In particular, the strong wind in HafenCity posed a challenge. In stormy weather or temperatures below zero, the process would have been very difficult. Already days before, we looked spellbound at the weather forecast. In the end, we were all glad that the lifting could take place as planned and the pool found its new home. There were also many onlookers who watched the cranes and fitters at work," explains Ulrike Lühring, Project Manager VILVIF Hamburg at Garbe Immobilien-Projekte.
The associated swimming pool technology is expected to be installed in autumn. The pool will be ready for use when it is completed and the tenants move into the senior residence.
Swimming, by the way, is very healthy and one of the few sports that can be unreservedly recommended for seniors.
Here are four reasons to swim a few laps:
- As a gentle exercise, swimming is a gentle workout for the muscles. The buoyancy relieves the joints, intervertebral discs and back. The body feels light. At the same time, almost every muscle in the body is used. This strengthens the muscles and ensures better mobility.
- Swimming is an endurance workout. The movement in the water gets the cardiovascular system going and trains the heart muscle. With regular training, the performance of the heart is strengthened. The body is optimally supplied with blood. People who swim a lot reduce high blood pressure.
- If you want to lose weight: When swimming, the body uses up energy, on the one hand because of the movement, on the other hand because the temperature difference to the water is balanced - the calories just tumble! Up to 350 calories in a 30-minute session.
- Swimming reduces stress and depression. The feeling of being carried by the water allows one to switch off from everyday life. Simply clear your head - While your thoughts focus on movement and breathing, your body falls into a kind of meditation. - "Hello, positive body feeling!"
The VILVIF Hamburg project development has already found an investor in Aachener Grundvermögen:
"In the event of a need for long-term care, the majority of people living in Germany would like to be cared for at home. And this according to their previous standard of living. We want to meet this increasing and very different need with our investments for age-appropriate living," explains Georg Heinze, Managing Director of Aachener Grundvermögen, adding: "With VILVIF Hamburg, we are investing in an offer for self-determined living in old age with whose future operator we share an anthropology and ethics of old age based on common values." For other funds, the company has already acquired two nursing homes and 650 flats in the Hanseatic city, more than half of which are rent-controlled.
Dr. Michael Held, CEO of TERRAGON AG comments: "We are delighted to have found an investor in Aachener Grundvermögen that will make the senior living concept being developed in the joint venture in HafenCity possible. The many enquiries we have already received confirm both the demand and the exceptional character of VILVIF Hamburg.
"Age-appropriate forms of housing are becoming increasingly important within the real estate industry. Due to the demographic change in Germany, it can be assumed that the demand for attractive products will continue to increase in the future, which also puts the asset class in the focus of developers and investors," explains Fabian von Köppen, Managing Director of Garbe Immobilien-Projekte. In the future, the project developer would like to increasingly develop senior living concepts in addition to sustainable residential, commercial real estate and neighbourhood developments, among others in a joint venture with TERRAGON.
The general tenant and service provider of "VILVIF Hamburg" will be SWS GmbH, a joint venture between TERRAGON AG and Agaplesion gAG, Germany's largest church-based healthcare group. A lease agreement with a term of 25 years has been concluded for the operation.
The first two VILVIF residences are located in Berlin and Ahrensburg near Hamburg. These two projects had also been acquired by Aachener Grundvermögen. "VILVIF Berlin" will be put into operation in a few weeks. VILVIF Ahrensburg" already welcomed its first tenants at the beginning of November 2021.
