Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzon and de Meuron and scheduled to open in 2010, the Elbe Philharmonie will be the home of the NDR Philharmonic, the orchestra of North German Radio, under the direction of chief conductor Christoph von Dohnšnyi. The building will house a 2,150-seat main concert hall and a smaller 550-seat chamber music hall — both designed in collaboration with Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics, the man responsible for the sound in Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Where the warehouse and the new building intersect, there will be a public plaza, with outdoor terraces offering panoramic views of the city and the harbor from 120 feet above the water.

The 1.3 million square foot Philharmonie will be the cultural centerpiece of Hafencity, a large-scale project to redevelop Hamburg's harbor area with residential and commercial buildings as well as entertainment and recreational facilities.

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All renderings by Herzog and de Meuron Architects.