Organizing the City through Architectural Projects: The Elbe Philharmonic Hall, Hamburg

Author: Monika Grubbauer & Venetsiya Dimitrova (HafenCity University Hamburg) Year: 2017 (conference paper) Source type: article (conference paper) Raw file: raw/articles/grubbauer-dimitrova-2017-organizing-city-through-projects.md

Summary

Using the case of the Elbe Philharmonic Hall (Herzog & de Meuron, opened 2017), Grubbauer and Dimitrova examine how iconic architectural projects are actually planned and executed. They argue that iconicity "cannot be perceived as the product of celebrity architects alone": it depends on specific networks of professionals — on-site employed architects and local/global subcontractors and specialized executing firms — whose contributions "remained invisible and underappreciated in the public discourse." They thus demystify the star-architecture image, showing the localized, multi-sited, and labour-intensive making of the icon.

Key Claims

Iconicity and city branding: iconic architecture (Sklair) is enhanced by the fame of "starchitects" used to add weight to place-marketing; the Elbe Philharmonic materialized a "radical urban imaginary" (Kaika) promising Hamburg "world-class city status."
The invisible making of the icon: "iconicity cannot be perceived as the product of celebrity architects alone"; the paper sheds light on "the mostly invisible and less 'glamourous' side of iconic structures, namely their actual realization and construction."
Non-standard solutions and unique products: the ambitious design required "non-standard architectural and construction elements" (façade panels, acoustic cladding) whose production "required the development of new tools and technologies … sourced from specialized firms and implemented by local subcontractors," largely invisible to public discourse.
Employed architects as organizers: a branch office of ~80 architects in Hamburg handled "the daily interaction" with on-site partners and subcontractors, located and contracted specialized firms across Europe, and "securing quality control" throughout; "having little symbolic status and no visibility to the public, these employed architects proved to play a key role."
Stable networks of trust: Herzog & de Meuron and leading specialized firms formed "stable networks … built on trust and mutual understanding," carried across projects; global design firms are "crucially reliant on their linkages to specialized executing firms."
Transformation of the construction industry: the rise of iconic/large-scale projects "has enhanced the ongoing transformation of the construction industry," enabling the emergence of "highly specialized, global execution firms" that monopolize niche markets.

Connections

Concepts: Star Architecture · Iconic Architecture · Authorship · Everyday Architecture Authors: Monika Grubbauer & Venetsiya Dimitrova · Maria Kaika Debates: Genius vs. Bureaucracy Related source notes: What the Files Reveal (Boucsein) · The Age of Spectacle (Dyckhoff)

Direct Quotes

"[I]conicity cannot be perceived as the product of celebrity architects alone."

"[T]hese employees were in charge of the supervision of these partners … Having little symbolic status and no visibility to the public, these employed architects proved to play a key role."

"[W]e show that the actual making of iconic architectural projects requires specific knowledge and specialized expertise of other disciplines beyond design."

"[G]lobal architectural firms are crucially reliant on their linkages to specialized executing firms."

Open Questions

Does the demystification of the icon's "invisible" labour (employed architects, subcontractors) refute the star/hero-genius myth, or does it merely document a new division of labour still crowned by the celebrity architect and the icon's market value?