On Neuer Wall new life was breathed into the buildings at 10–32. Behind the heritage-listed facades, after complete gutting a long, eight-storey block has been built using reinforced concrete. Retail outlets, catering, the Bucerius Kunst Forum and offices have since filled the new build in the immediate vicinity of the City Hall. The complex consists of three structures separated by isolation joints that share a four-storey underground carpark stretching across the entire complex from basement level 1 down. A new pedestrian bridge links the passage over the Alsterfleet canal to the Alsterarkaden on the other side.
The sealed-watertight pit, which was up to 20 metres deep, was truly impressive: sized about 100 x 30 metres, it was built using diaphragm walls with steel bracing on the inside to support the pit walls. In some sections, additional tie-back anchoring was required, with grouted anchors deployed for the purpose. The pit had neighbouring buildings on all sides that it could potentially affect.