Elbphilharmonie

The Elbphilharmonie (German pronunciation (·info)) (Elbe Philharmonic Hall) is a concert hall in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany, on the Grasbrook peninsula of the Elbe River. It is one of the largest and acoustically most advanced concert halls in the world. It is popularly nicknamed Elphi.

The new glassy construction resembles a hoisted sail, water wave, iceberg or quartz crystal; it sits on top of an old warehouse building (Kaispeicher A, built 1963) near the historical Speicherstadt and is designed by architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron. It is the tallest inhabited building in Hamburg, with a final height of 108 metres (354 ft).

The Elbphilharmonie was officially inaugurated with concerts of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and a light show on 11 January 2017.

History

On 2 April 2007, the foundation stone was laid in the warehouse Kaispeicher A [de], in the presence of then First Mayor of Hamburg Ole von Beust, Hochtief Construction AG CEO Henner Mahlstedt, Hochtief project coordinator Hartmut Wegener, Hamburg Minister of Culture Karin von Welck and architect Pierre de Meuron.

In 2007, the construction was scheduled to be finished by 2010 with an estimated cost of €241 million. In November 2008, after the original contract was amended, the costs for the project were estimated at €450 million. In August 2012, the costs were re-estimated to be over €500 million, which should also cover the increased cost for a strengthened roof. Construction work officially ended on 31 October 2016 at a cost of €866 million.

The first public test concert at the Elbphilharmonie was held on 25 November 2016. The official opening concert took place on 11 January 2017 with a performance by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under direction of Thomas Hengelbrock. The first musical selection was "Pan" from Benjamin Britten's Six Metamorphoses after Ovid.

Building

The building is designed as a cultural and residential complex. The original 1966 brick façade of the Kaispeicher A, formerly a warehouse, was retained at the base of the building. On top of this a footprint-matching superstructure rests on its own foundation exhibiting a glassy exterior and a wavy roof line. About one thousand glass windows are curved. The building has 26 floors with the first eight floors within the brick façade. It reaches its highest point with 108 meters at the western side. The footprint of the building measures 120,000 m2. A curved escalator from the main entrance at the east side connects the ground floor with an observation deck, the Plaza, at the 8th floor, the top of the brick section. The Plaza is accessible by the public. It offers a view of Hamburg and the Elbe. From the Plaza the foyer of the concert hall can be reached.

The Elbphilharmonie has three concert venues. The Great Concert Hall can accommodate 2,100 visitors whereby the performers are in the center of the hall surrounded by the audience in the vineyard style arrangement. The acoustics were designed by Yasuhisa Toyota who installed about 10,000 individually microshaped drywall plates to disperse sound waves. The Great Concert Hall contains a pipe organ with 69 registers built by Klais Orgelbau. The Recital Hall is intended for the performance of recitals, chamber music and jazz concerts; it can hold an audience of 550 people. In addition, there is the Kaistudio that allows for 170 visitors and is intended to serve educational activities. The consultant for the scenography of the concert hall was Ducks Scéno.

The easternmost part of the building is rented by Westin as the Westin Hamburg Hotel that opened on 4 November 2016. The hotel offers 244 rooms between the 9th and 20th floors. The lobby in the 8th floor can be accessed from the Plaza. The upper floors west of the concert hall accommodate 45 luxury apartments. The complex also houses conference rooms, restaurants, bars, and a spa. A parking garage for 433 cars is part of the building complex as well.

Controversy

The project was criticized because of its cost and schedule overruns; construction was originally estimated to cost about 200 million Euros, while the final cost was 870 million Euros. However, upon completion, Der Spiegel in a comparative analysis suggested that the overrun was relatively "modest" compared to some other international mega-projects.

Public transport

The nearest rail station is Baumwall on Hamburg Metro line 3, about 450 metres (1,480 ft) away. The nearest bus stop is Am Kaiserkai, 150 metres (490 ft) away.

Ferry services

Elbphilharmonie is the name of a ferry pier, reachable from Hamburg's St. Pauli Piers.

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Arningstraße
toward St. Pauli (Landungsbrücken)
</td><td rowspan="1" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-bottom: 0px none;"> 72 </td><td rowspan="1" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top: 1px #aaa solid;">Terminus</td>

</tr>

Preceding pier   HADAG   Following pier
St. Pauli (Landungsbrücken)
Terminus
  Elb-Hüpfer
weekend service only
  Willkomm-Höft (Wedel)
One-way operation
 Ferry services
Speicherstadt
toward St. Pauli (Landungsbrücken)
  Maritime Circle Line   HafenCity (Elbarkaden)
One-way operation

External links

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Yasaman Zahiri
18 November 2017
This building is a must see in Hamburg! The architecture and the view of the port from the top are amazing. I can't wait for another visit! ????
Stefan Maierhofer
27 February 2018
Outstanding architecture, grab a free ticket t the counter and take the cool escalator upstairs to get a great view over beautiful Hamburg
Lisa Starbucks
30 July 2017
The building is unique. It always looks different depending on light and position. Come before 10 a.m. when you have a plaza ticket. Unfortunately, it does not include a visit to the concert hall ????
Uwe Schwers
24 April 2017
Wenn man in Hamburg ist, sollte man unbedingt auch auf die Plaza und die Aussicht genießen. Doch Vorsicht! Es kann sehr voll werden und es haben nur begrenzt Personen Zutritt. Das bedeutet Wartezeiten
Karsten Niemann
31 December 2016
Mit Besucherticket auf die Plaza. Da kann man einmal außen rumlaufen und die gigantische Aussicht genießen. Die Souvenirs sind einfallslos und teuer. Das Bistro vom Störtebeker ist zu empfehlen
Michael Sauerland
22 November 2016
Unbedingt ein Rundgang auf der -Plaza- einplanen -> Genialer Ausblick auf den Hafen !
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