The Elbphilharmonie is Hamburgs new landmark and is already an icon of contemporary architecture. In this book, Herzog & de Meuron document their project: extensive archive material, plans, and photographs are used to illustrate the process of the creation of this once-in-a-hundred-years building from the first sketch and the various design stages with their many challenges, through to completion of the finished building. The dialog between historical brick plinth and contemporary glass crystal, the combination of different functions, the development of the spectacular large concert hall, the design of a public plaza for the population are just some of the many aspects that contribute to the attractiveness of the building.

Gerhard Mack is editor for art, architecture, and design for NZZ am Sonntag and editor of the Complete Works by Herzog & de Meuron.