The new Elbphilharmonic in Hamburg will be among the world’s leading concert venues thanks to its innovative architecture and outstanding acoustics, writes LafargeHolcim in a statement. Two Swiss companies contributed to this: the building was designed by the Basel architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron and features a light-coloured concrete, which was produced by the Zurich-headquartered concrete giant LafargeHolcim.
LafargeHolcim produced the concrete with a specific blast-furnace cement and used high-quality round gravel instead of crushed stone to create exceptional surface quality while reducing dust formation and improving pumpability.
The building was constructed using a total of 30 customised concrete mixes produced by LafargeHolcim. These were designed to deliver the required strength, consistency, setting properties and chemical resistance for each part of the complex design. A particularly high-performance concrete was used for the building’s load bearing structural pillars.
LafargeHolcim was also on site during the construction process through its German subsidiary, Holcim Deutschland. It installed a temporary ready-mix concrete plant one kilometre away from the site to ensure that the concrete could be delivered into the crowded inner city.