Hamburg - It is safe to say that so much of the new Elbphilharmonie
concert hall, located on Hamburg's river harbour, is unique and is a glittering palace of superlatives.
The list of highlights is an imposing one, starting with the Grand
Hall, which - for acoustic reasons - is completely detached and
sitting atop massive steel springs. Then there is the
crystalline glass facade with its 1,096 curved window panels. And
'the Tube,' a convex escalator taking visitors to a 360-degree
viewing platform.
Here is an overview of the main attractions:
THE GRAND HALL
With seating for nearly 2,100, the Grand Hall was built on the
'vineyard principle' of positioning the stage in the middle,
surrounded by seating areas like terraces rising steeply up all
around. No seat is more than 30 metres from the stage.
For sound-proofing reasons, the 12,500-ton Grand Hall is completely
detached from the rest of the building, resting atop 362 massive
steel springs that totally buffer the hall from outside sounds - so
that not even the blaring of ships' sirens can be heard from the
harbour outside.
Suspended from the middle of the vaulted ceiling is a huge reflector
whose panels evenly distribute sound throughout the hall.
THE 'WHITE SKIN'
Covering the walls and ceiling of the Grand Hall are some 10,000
sheets of gypsum fibre panels, each with its own individual shape,
size, weight and surface structure. This assures that sound waves are
optimally reflected, making the concert hall one of the 10 best in
the world.
Japanese acoustics expert Yasuhisa Toyota designed the 'white skin'
surface. Toyota said his aim was that everyone in the hall could hear
the sound equally well, "no matter whether they are sitting in the
first or the last row."
THE GLASS SURFACE
What captivates a visitor's first view of the Elbphilharmonie is its
glistening crystal-like facade, comprised of 1,096 curved window
panels, each individually imprinted with a pattern of chromium dots
to protectively reflect the sun's rays. Each glass panel weighs about
1.2 tons and in wind-tunnel tests can withstand hurricane-strength
gusts.
Many of the panels' convex form gives the impression of huge tuning
forks.
The total facade area covers some 21,000 square-metres, with the
architects saying the aim is to create the impression of a huge
crystal providing an ever-changing reflection of the sky, the water
and the city skyline.
THE TUBE
It takes two and a half minutes to ride up the 82-metre-long
escalator, called the 'Tube,' which carries visitors to the public
plaza 37 metres above street level.
The Finnish company Kone says the two-lane, convex-curved escalator
is "the longest escalator in western Europe and the only one in the
world that forms an arc."
The tube, decorated with sparkling glass spangles, ends at a
panoramic window looking out over the harbour. Visitors reach the
plaza after a further, short escalator ride and by climbing a few
steps.
THE PLAZA
The Plaza is 4,000 square metres and serves as the public observation
platform located between the historic Kaispeicher warehouse below and
the new concert hall above.
"If you look on the Kaispeicher as part of the harbour, and the
concert building as part of the city, then it is precisely at this
spot where the two worlds converge," says Ascan Mergnthaler, the
project leader for the architects.
It is from the plaza that visitors proceed via curving staircases to
the large and small concert halls, to the restaurant area and the
hotel lobby. Two huge windbreakers connect to the balcony which forms
a 360-degree viewing platform around the building.
Given the limited space, Plaza visits are regulated by ticket sales.
Concertgoers however do not need an extra ticket.
THE ORGAN
"I have never experienced an organ like this. The sound is coming
from everywhere. The sound is so round, warm, and with fantastic
frequencies," exclaims the Elbphilharmonie's Titular Organist, Iveta
Apkalna.
The imposing instrument covers an area of 15 by 15 metres, yet
visitors see only a fraction of it, since the rest is hidden behind
the wall panelling. The organ has a total of 4,765 pipes, the tiniest
being one of tin just 11 millimetres long, the largest, made of wood,
10 metres long.
Some pipes have been covered with a special coating to allow visitors
to touch them, something that usually is strictly prohibited.