Elbphilharmonie

The Elbphilharmonie – ‘Elbe Philharmonic Hall’ – is a stunning work of art in the docks area of Hamburg, Germany.

Completed in 2016, the building includes a concert hall, hotel, residential apartments and public space. The Grand Hall, built on top of an old brick warehouse, has been compared to wave, a crystal, iceberg and sail, with a façade of astonishing architectural complexity made up of irregular, semi-transparent panels incorporating a range of innovative technological elements.

Brand: Gartner

General Designer: Joint Venture Planning Elphilharmonie Herzog & de Meuron GmbH, Hamburg; H+P Planungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Aachen; Hochtief Solutions AG, Essen

Contractor: Hochtief Solutions AG, Essen

Client: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, Germany represented by Elbhilharmonie Hamburg Bau GmbH & Co. KG

The project

The concept

The building’s organic, dynamic form was designed to evoke sea waves and capture an interplay of reflections. The façade incorporates a range of unique, highly complex characteristics – multiple textures; different protective layers; alternating, spherically-curved units; inclined glazing; and huge wind deflectors.

What did we do?

Our Gartner team designed, engineered, manufactured and installed 21,800 sqm of unique, complex geometry façade. This included 2,200 panes of glass, around 600 of which were spherically-curved, and 100 ‘tuning forks’ – fork-shaped balustrades used to create balconies for the residential units. A variety of treatments were applied to the glass to reduce solar input and create different aesthetic effects, breathing life into the façade and giving it a constantly-changing appearance. The Elbphilharmonie’s giant crystal joins its base at the Plaza, for which our team created a 2,100 sqm stick system steel façade, with two monumental curved glass walls opening up to overlook the city and harbour.