People/Products

Like a giant seafaring ship with rippling sails of glass instead of canvas and a brick base instead of a wood hull, the new Elbphilharmonie commands the harbor of Hamburg’s still-active port in northern Germany. The concert hall, hotel, and apartment building designed by the Swiss firm of Herzog & de Meuron (as well as local architects Hohler + Partner) sits at the western tip of HafenCity. There it functions as a glittering beacon for this 390-acre residential and commercial waterfront redevelopment under construction along the Elbe River. While Elbphilharmonie’s grand 2,100-seat concert hall and its 550-seat recital hall don’t open until January 2017, already there is plenty of hubbub. The “plaza,” an elevated public space eight stories above ground—between the brick base and the new glass structure on top—was inaug­urated early in November. “We feel the enthusiasm of the people,” says founding partner Jacques Herzog. “Outstanding buildings are key for successful urban planning.”