This article was originally published by Metropolis Magazine as "Will Elbphilharmonie Be Hamburg?s Guggenheim""

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the Elbphilharmonie is a unique presence in Hamburg?s cityscape. Image © Maxim Schulz

This article was originally published by Metropolis Magazine as "Will Elbphilharmonie Be Hamburg?s Guggenheim""So much has already been written about Hamburg?s undeniably excellent Elbphilharmonie, which formally opened in January but has been publicly accessible, in part, since November. The chatter has mostly revolved around the same two talking points?the building?s on-the-tip-of-your-tongue shape and its fantastic price tag. In addressing the former, critics have called attention to the hall?s resemblance to an iceberg, an outcrop, a ship, circus tents, or the Sydney Opera House. And as for the costs, totaling $900 million, they point out how the project hemorrhaged cash, even if they have inadvertently exaggerated the figures. Having momentarily lost control of the narrative, the city felt compelled to set the record straight in time for the inaugural performance: The building cost just three?not ten!?times the initial budget.The impulse to endlessly perpetuate these hooks, to not bury the lede, is as understandable as it is time-tested. The Elbphilharmonie will never escape comparisons with Sydney or the Guggenheim Bilbao, but that is quite good company to be in. As others have pointed out, a...