View on 'Elphi' ~ Elbe Philharmonic Hall, Hamburg...

'Elphi': The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg is a concert hall under construction in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany. The concert hall is designed by Herzog & de Meuron on top of an old warehouse (Kaispeicher A). It will be the tallest inhabited building of Hamburg, with a final height of 110m.

On 2 April 2007, the First Mayor of Hamburg Ole von Beust, Henner Mahlstedt, Hochtief Construction AG, project coordinator Hartmut Wegener, Hamburg Minister of Culture Karin von Welck and architect Pierre de Meuron laid the foundation stone in the warehouse Kaispeicher A. In 2007, the construction was scheduled to be finished in 2010 with an estimated cost of €241 million.

In November 2008, as an endorsement to the original contract, the costs for the project were estimated at €450 million.

In August 2012, the cost were re-estimated to be over €500 million, which should also cover the increased cost for a strengthened roof. The date of completion has been moved to the summer of 2015 at the earliest.

Currently, construction work is scheduled to end in October 2016, with an earliest opening date of spring of 2017.

The easternmost part of the building will be occupied by "Westin Hamburg" hotel scheduled to open in October 2016. The upper floors west of the concert hall will accommodate apartments.