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LafargeHolcim concrete behind Hamburg landmark

Hamburg’s new Elbphilharmonic will open its doors on 11 January – with a bit of Switzerland inside. Cement giant LafargeHolcim produced 30 customised concrete mixes for the cultural landmark.

Lafarge Holcim
LafargeHolcim produced 30 customised concrete mixes for the new Elbphilharmonic in Hamburg. (image: LafargeHolcim)

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.

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