Elbe Philharmonic Hall

In a former warehouse for cocoa, tea and tobacco, the Elbe Philharmonic Hall is being developed as an architectural landmark in the centre of the Port of Hamburg. At the heart of the Elbe Philharmonic Hall is one of the most exciting architectural challenges in Europe: a world-class concert hall with 2,100 seats at a height of 50m above the Elbe. Then there is a smaller concert hall for up to 550 visitors and the Kai Studio for about 170 visitors. The client’s specified goal is to build one of the best concert halls is the world. The Elbe Philharmonic Hall should join the ranks of world-famous homes to the performing arts like the Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein, the Berlin Philharmonie Concert Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The hall will be completed in 2012.

Waagner-Biro is supplying the complete upper-stage and under-stage stage equipment for the main and the smaller concert halls, a highly-modern CAT-control system and is also responsible for the system’s installation. Included in the specification for the main concert hall are 26 scissor elevating platforms, 5 secondary platforms, 33 chain hoists, 24 microphone winches and 6 scenery hoists. A particularly elegant touch: the elaborately decorated ceiling has openings for the chain, scenery and microphone hoists. These can be closed when the machinery is not in use which means that, not only the look of the ceiling is perfect, but so are the hall’s acoustics.

The smaller hall will also be equipped with the latest stage system technology. Waagner-Biro is fitting it with 18 scissor elevating platforms, a telescopic stand system, 7 scenery hoists, a winch for a movie screen, and 25 adjustable acoustic banners to provide the hall with the best possible acoustics.