Hamburg getting Europe's largest climate-neutral digital museum

The Digital Art Museum is now being built on a 7,000 square metre area with 10-metre high ceilings in eastern HafenCity in Hamburg. This huge space is set to become Europe's largest climate-neutral museum. Various measures will ensure the museum's carbon footprint amounts to zero.

This immersive art form is the brainchild of teamLab, an international, interdisciplinary collective of artists, programmers, engineers, mathematicians, architects and experts in computer animation. Their art can be experienced in their own museums in Tokyo and Shanghai, among others, and from 2024 in Hamburg.

Visitors become part of the art works in teamLab and they are encouraged to touch and take photographs. After opening in Tokyo in 2018, this art experience attracted 2.3 million visitors from over 160 countries in just one year. Following its arrival in Hamburg, Hinrichs is hoping for around 700,000 visitors in the first year.

"Digitally created and experienced art is a step into a new, groundbreaking era. teamLab's works are astounding and have really touched me," he said in amazement. The museum's motto of "Touch. Be touched," appears to have rung true. 

The Digital Art Museum is part of a new mixed-use property being built in HafenCity. Developed by the Hamburg-based property specialist, ECE, Harmonia Immobilien and the Studierendenwerk Hamburg, a new vibrant district with diverse uses is emerging. Apart from the Digital Art Museum, it will include an international student residence, a daycare centre and around 600 apartments.

Alexander Otto, CEO of ECE, has high hopes for the project: "We are pursuing a vision of urban life in future with this mixed-use property and are creating an innovative, cosmopolitan model district that will impact HafenCity and the entire City of Hamburg."

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