Aesthetics and new values in ports

In the port of Hamburg, one of the biggest in Europe and the world, a feature that always hypnotises visitors is the Speicherstadt. People are fascinated by the quality and the monumental perspectives of this group of old warehouses, built in the traditional brick of northern Germany at the end of the 19th century. This part of the city, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015, reflects the spirit of an age in which the port's image was very important. The city's commercial power was reflected not only in the opulent headquarters of the shipping companies, but also in these strictly functional buildings. Hamburg Speicherstadt UNESCO World Heritage. Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Hamburg, Speicherstadt, Wasserschloss -- 2016 -- 3265-71” / CC BY-SA 4.0 During the evolution of seaport activity in the 20th century, a functionalist vision replaced this style of architecture, focused on making the best use of space and relegating aesthetic and even environmental values to the background. The results were industrial zones and the big covered spaces built to support port activities. The dehumanisation of the ports, combined with their increasing scale, technological changes and new legislation which restricted access to the waterfront, soured port-city relations, in some cases almost to the point of conflict. In recent years, however, we have detected growing interest in reaching a new harmony in this relationship. Apart from growing sensitivity to environmental problems, and increasing investment to solve them, initiatives are appearing with the aim of recovering aesthetic value in ports. In the old days, efforts were concentrated on hiding the port behind a buffer zone, however today they are expanding to include a number of aspects. This trend is particularly visible in the ports of northern Europe. For example, the Norwegian ports of Oslo and Moss have aesthetic guidelines, covering items which range from…