Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

On the Grid : Elbphilharmonie

"Well this is kind of the "problem child" of the city. The concert hall was built on top of an old storage house, which now holds apartments and a hotel. Besides its controversial design, it bears quite some scandal. Construction began 2007 with an estimated cost of 77 Million Euro and opening date of 2010. Now it will open late 2016/early 2017 and cost the tax payers around 789 Million Euro. You do the math. Although the building is located in the Speicherstadt, we recommend to go to the other side of the Elbe through the old tunnel for a more spectacular view." - Boom

"With its wave-like rooftop and eye-catching glass facade, which features 1,000 curved window panels to reflect the sky, the Elbphilharmonie is Hamburg’s newest landmark and the focal point of the HafenCity harbor regeneration project. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron where the Kaispeicher warehouse once stood, the vast building is home to two concert halls, the plush (and separately run) Westin Hamburg hotel, and residential apartments. The venue’s Grand Hall seats 2,100 guests in a classic vineyard-style seating, while the Recital Hall hosts more intimate concerts of chamber, jazz, and world music. If you can’t manage to catch a performance here, it’s worth at least visiting the wraparound public viewing platform, which, at 121 feet high, offers excellent views across Hamburg and its handsome harbor."

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"Imagine 1,000 curved glass panels set atop Hamburg’s biggest warehouse, all glittering in the sun: The stunning new-meets-old structure alone, designed by Tate Modern architects Herzog & de Meuron, is reason enough to visit the Elbphilharmonie. One of the world’s largest concert halls, it officially opened in January 2017 after 10 years of construction (and a price tag of more than €800), and today it's rightly the showpiece of the city." - Liz Humphreys