LIFE BY LEXUS 30


THE GRAND HALL:


The Grand Hall is the centrepiece of the Elbphilharmonie. The geometry of the hall creates an organic flow between audience and players ensuring the sound is optimally distributed. The ceiling is dominated by a futuristic chandelier which serves the dual purpose of reflecting sound and housing the critical elements of the hall’s technical functions.


T


he Elbphilharmonie, in Hamburg, Germany, can be seen from all over the city. It has the appearance of an enormous ship with a fluid, wave-like white roof sailing 110m above sea level. It’s surrounded on three sides by water: the westernmost tip of the


historic harbour and the banks of the river Elbe. The Elbe is an economic artery, connecting Hamburg, via


the North Sea, to the ocean. Hamburg has a proud musical tradition, including the opening of the first opera house in Europe in 1678, being the birthplace of composers such as Johannes Brahms and an important city for Gustav Mahler. Costing €800 million and taking 10 years to complete, the Elbphilharmonie has music at its centre. Hanging like a vast pendant in the shell of the building, detached for soundproofing reasons, is the Grand Hall – a stunning symbiosis of architecture and music. Here 2 100 seats rise in a steep incline, encircling the enormous stage so that no audience member is further than 30m from it. The historic red-brick warehouse on top of which the building’s constructed is part of a Unesco World Heritage Site. The harbour warehouses have remained virtually unchanged since they were built at the end of the 19th


century and were used


between the 1960s and 1990s to store cocoa, tea and tobacco. The Elbphilharmonie combines the old with the modern. It


stands alongside Hamburg’s exclusive waterfront development – the HafenCity. Its function is multiple. In addition to the Grand Hall, there’s a chamber music hall, educational facilities, luxury apartments and a five-star hotel. A public look-out plaza and viewing area offer breathtaking 360° views of the city.


© Iwan Baan


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