The Kickoff: Panel Discussion on the Roof of the Altona Neighborhood School

The 2026 Roof Days kicked off with a panel discussion on the roof of the Altona Community School. Moderated by Björge Köhler, Cornelia Peters (BUKEA), Ronja Scholz and Sara Scheuing (Initiative des Entgrauens), Katrien Ligt (Rotterdamse Dakendagen & obenstadt), and Flavio Mancuso (Botanica Urbana) discussed how to foster more innovative uses of rooftops despite bureaucratic hurdles.

Afterward, we wrapped up the evening together with cold drinks, snacks, and the exhibition on the Green Building Award. A great start to the event despite the hot weather!

Expeditionen on Altona’s Rooftops

On various tours, we’ve explored Altona from new perspectives: from the rooftop terraces of the Neue Mitte Altona to the green facades in Ottensen and the award-winning green roof of the Max Planck Institute, with its 2,440 m² of greenery.

For the Altona parking garage as well, we worked with the “Entgrauen” initiative to develop ideas for transforming unused rooftop spaces into vibrant places. The rooftop playground at the Fröbel Kindergarten on Winterstraße showcased the facility’s innovative architecture and educational concept.

IKEA Rooftop Gallery

For the 2026 Dachtage festival, the top parking deck at IKEA Altona was transformed into an open-air gallery. Seven artists created works exploring urban nature, transience, and hope, some of them right there on site under the open sky.

The result: a space for art, dialogue, and new perspectives on our city. Thank you to all the artists for their dedication in the heat!

Heiße Beats über den Dächern

Things really heated up on the rooftops musically as well: The bands Glitzer Suite, Arcadian Daze, Kollektiv 22, Klubzmer X Méli Poppins & coeur marrant, The Royal Rocks, and DJ Katja Ruge transformed the roof of the Altona Community School into a stage for beats and bangers. The event concluded with a rousing concert by the Flinta* Choir at Green Pauli.

Creative Activities on the Rooftops: Urban Sketching & Readings

Despite the midsummer heat, everyone was busy sketching: Together with the Urban Sketchers Hamburg, sketches offering unique perspectives of the city were created on the rooftops of IKEA Altona, a housing cooperative in the Neue Mitte Altona neighborhood, and the Altona District School.

There was also plenty to discover on the literary front: Ove Thomsen gave a musical reading in Low German from Regen im Kopf, and during “Gute Dachgeschichten,” Christa Thelen, Lara Gahlow, Gabriel Bornstein, and Christine Sterly-Paulsen presented their short stories. A special literary afternoon above the rooftops of Hamburg.

Sports with a View

There was plenty of exercise with a view, including techno table tennis with a view of the Elbe, two yoga sessions, what is likely Hamburg’s highest mini-golf tee, and a sweat-inducing round of Spikeball/Roundnet. The rooftops demonstrated just how versatile they can be: as places for exercise, socializing, and shared experiences.

Get Involved and Gain Insights

At Green Pauli, everything revolved around urban gardening—from participatory gardens and raised-bed workshops to political neighborhood tours. In the Mundhalle, a special space emerged that blended art, craftsmanship, and community, and during the green roof workshop with Dr. Michael Marrett-Foßen (Galabau Nord), visitors were able to witness the construction of a green roof firsthand.

As exhausting as the heat was for everyone involved, it also brought home what the Hamburg Roof Days are all about. As many roofs heated up in the sun, it became clear just what a difference green roofs can make. They help reduce heat, retain rainwater, and make our city more resilient to the effects of climate change. The temperatures this weekend were therefore not only a challenge, but also compelling evidence of why we need to rethink our roofs.

Thank you to our team!

A huge thank you goes out to our team and all the volunteers who made the Dachtage 2026 possible with their incredible passion, dedication, and good spirits. Whether it was setting up and taking down, at the venues, or behind the scenes: none of this would have been possible without you!

See you next time on the rooftops!

The 2026 Hamburg Roof Days were sponsored by the Department of Environment, Climate, Energy, and Agriculture (BUKEA)—thank you very much!