Hamburg, Germany
Since its launch in November 2016, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie has come to symbolize the unique relationship between design, technology and culture.
The Elbphilharmonie on the Kaispeicher has turned into the social and cultural center of Hamburg, Germany. From the outside, Elphi (as the locals affectionately call it) is a brick-and-glass high rise that looks like a swanky ocean liner docked in the city’s harbor. Nestled inside this 110-meter-high, 26-story mega structure, is one of world’s top ten concert halls, mixed use apartments, and even a five-star hotel. KONE has installed the world’s first arched escalators at the Elbphilharmonie. More than 80 meters in length, they are the longest in Europe. Designed in the shape of an arch, they give users the experience of travelling in an ‘endless’ escalator, since they cannot see the other end. They were specially designed for the Elbphilharmonie music hall and climb to a height of 21.43 meters. Several small drive units were used instead of large central drives to make these arched escalators possible. The weekend after the Elbphilharmonie opened, nearly 13,000 people travelled on these escalators each day.
