(Left to right) Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Ascan Mergenthaler
One of Europe’s most significant new cultural buildings opened to the public on 11 January with a special concert for 1,000 ticket winners.
The Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron, is formed of a shimmering glass-covered volume – consisting of 1,100 individual panes – built on top of the original brick structure of an industrial warehouse on the city’s harbour side.
The structure is home to a Westin Hotel, two small music venues and a 37m- (121.4ft-) high public plaza and observation deck, but the main draw is the new world-class concert hall which seats 2,100 spectators across its interwoven tiers.
THE TECHNICAL SPECS The 12,500-tonne venue, which is housed in the heart of the glass volume, rests on 362 giant spring assemblies to decouple it from the rest of the building. It rises 50m (164 ft) and includes a vast organ built into the walls. To ensure acoustic excellence, 11,000 uniquely-textured sound-modulating gypsum panels, conceived with Japanese acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, have been painstakingly assembled.
Speaking late last year, city mayor Olaf Scholz said: “Hamburg is a city of music, and you could call this its parliament. It is a concert hall that will wow the world.”
Over the years of construction, the building has become a landmark on the Hamburg skyline, inspiring a wide range of merchandise in the city based on the silhouette of the instantly recognisable 7,000sq m (75,347sq ft) roof, which consists of eight spherical, concavely bent sections.
The opening nights featured performances by the hall’s resident NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and a selection of classical singers, including bass baritone Sir Bryn Terfel.
Spectators enter via the building’s elegantly curving elevator, which rises towards the elevated public plaza over the course of two minutes. The architects’ idea was to make sure there are no doors blocking people at any point from their journey from the outside of the building all the way into the concert hall.
“It’s a stunning experience to be in this building,” senior partner Ascan Mergenthaler told CLAD. “It’s like a little city. You literally flow into the building, and the outside world is part of that journey until the very last moment.”
KEEPING THE FAITH Summarising the experience of working on the project, which took over a decade to complete, Mergenthaler said: “Sometimes you almost feel it’s a dead end. But you have to believe there’s a way out, and you have to fight for it. That saved us. We had faith we’d have a happy ending and survived by finding a solution together.
“It’s tough building. I don’t think it will go out of fashion, because it was never in fashion. It is what it is. It’s there in the unique location of the harbour and it fulfils the promise of being a house for everybody.”
The cost of the project was reportedly E860m – over 10 times the original budget of E77m, which the architects have conceded was never realistic given the scale of the project.
The glass structure is made from more than 1,100 window panels. It sits on top of an old warehouse
The 12,500 tonne concert hall is completely detached from the rest of the building / PA
Light from the foyers and staircases shines through the façade
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
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