Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Visible from afar and with a striking silhouette, the Elbphilharmonie is a Hamburg landmark – even before its official opening on January 11, 2017. The outstanding architecture is underscored by a lighting concept from renowned Hamburg-based lighting designer Ulrike Brandi. It employs simple optical principles and perfectly showcases the architecture without drawing attention to itself. This ensures that the connection between inside and outside remains clear for the viewer from all perspectives – the sky, the water, and the city panorama should be perceptible and not obscured.
In the Grand Hall, too, the lighting designer aimed to emphasize the grandeur of the space. Over 800 FLASHAAR NauticProfil luminaires were integrated into the hall's stair treads, highlighting the terraced seating. As part of the emergency lighting system, they are also visible during performances, providing orientation and safety.
The central acoustic reflector is also illuminated with FLASHAAR . The custom luminaires based on the FLASHAAR HighPowerProfile were installed all around the top surface, illuminating the vaulted ceiling. This makes the acoustic reflector stand out against the light-colored ceiling, transforming it into a defining element of the space.
Seventy-two modified FLASHAAR Solaris spotlights showcase the concert hall's unique organ. They illuminate its 4,765 pipes, some of which are accessible to touch and mounted in the space, while others are visible behind a perforated wall. As the centerpiece of the Grand Hall, the organ is accessible to all visitors and simultaneously seamlessly integrated into the concert hall's architecture.
In addition to these central lighting elements in the Grand Hall FLASHAAR NauticProfile linear lighting systems were also used for the equally functional and elegant illumination of the ticket counters on the ground floor of the Elbphilharmonie. FLASHAAR
has been involved with the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg project since 2007, when the newly founded company participated in the tender for the luminaires. The opening, marking the company's tenth anniversary, gives FLASHAAR double cause for celebration.