Elbphilharmonie Pavilion

© Oliver Heissner

In the midst of Hamburg's »HafenCity« – across from the Elbphilharmonie – on the Magellan Terraces, rests the Elbphilharmonie Pavilion. Here one can stand today and discover and listen to the Elbphilharmonie of tomorrow. The pavilion houses an exhibition centred around the spectacular new concert house and musical life in Hamburg. It also contains an impressive 1:10 scale acoustics model of the Grand Hall in the Elbphilharmonie. Every Sunday public tours of the most exciting construction site in Europe begin here.

The exhibition at the Elbphilharmonie Pavilion

A public exhibition is located on the ground floor of the pavilion. One can read information about the site of the Elbphilharmonie, its architecture and the current construction development. Another part of the exhibition is dedicated to the history of musicin Hamburg, the future programmes of the concert house, and the Elbphilharmonie's many artistic contributors. A special treat awaits those who wish to get a taste of our future concert life: Via 20 funnel-shaped sound horns on the outer walls of the pavilion one can listen to a musical taste of what Hamburg has in store for the future.

The 1:10 scale model of the Grand Hall

On the first floor visit the 1:10 scale model of the Grand Hall of the Elbphilharmonie. It was built by the Japanese acoustics specialist Yasuhisa Toyota to carry out important sound wave and reverberation tests and to provide the ideal acoustics in the future concert hall. To simulate an audience, 2,000 small felt dolls were placed in the model. Instead of an orchestra, tiny loudspeakers sent sound waves from the stage, which Toyota then recorded at various positions in the model. By minimally changing the angle of the model walls and ceilings and systematically testing how the sound waves broke on different surfaces, Toyota »tuned« the acoustics of the Grand Hall. Since completing its use in the complicated process of refining the sound in the hall, the model has been placed on public display. It can be viewed on Tuesday to Sunday, between 10 am and 5 pm. Just by looking at this giant model, one can get an impression of the dimensions of the new Grand Hall of the Elbphilharmonie.

Renting the Pavilion

The upper floor of the pavilion, encased in glass, is festive venue for events. The space is just beneath the 1:10 scale acoustics model. The area is approximately 80 square metres, and can be used for conferences, lectures, readings or press conferences. For further information on renting the pavilion - with a direct view of the Elbphilharmonie - please contact Nadin Hanzig by phone (+49-40) 357 666 80 or email at pavillon@elbphilharmonie.de.

Interesting facts about the Elbphilharmonie Pavilion

The pavilion is steel and glass cube, conceived by the architect Andreas Heller. In the centre of his purist design stands the acoustical model of the Grand Hall. The pavilion was built by the ReGe Hamburg Projekt-Realisierungsgesellschaft mbH. The Elbphilharmonie pavilion is a joint project made possible by the combined efforts of the HamburgMusik gGmbH, the NDR, the HOCHTIEF Construction AG, and the Commerz Real AG.