High-end coating for the Elbe Philharmonic Hall

Highly polished

Reflective partial coating “ipachrome design” makes the Elbphilharmonie shine

The list of superlatives that are used in connection with the “Elbphilharmonie” (Elbe Philharmonic Hall) is long. It is being described as “architecture of the century” and “the new emblem of Hamburg”. One of the features creating the unique aesthetics of the new concert hall is the individual “droplet coating” of each of the panes in the glass façade, many of which are curved, with the chrome-based multilayer system “ipachrome design” from AGC Interpane. The effect is like millions of tiny mirrors, which make the building shimmer differently with every change in mood of the ambient light.

The American magazine National Geographic recently reported that Hamburg is among the top ten travel destinations worldwide for 2017. One of the main reasons for this popularity is that almost everyone wants to see the new “shining light” of architecture designed by Herzog & de Meuron in close-up: the Elbphilharmonie. The grandiose appearance of the concert hall is enhanced by the individual partial coating “ipachrome design” from AGC Interpane, a chrome-based multi-layer system. With a light reflection factor of over 50 percent and transmission of only four percent, the coating is as highly reflective as a conventional silver mirror but is significantly more durable and is therefore suitable for use in façades, where it needs to cope with every kind of weather for many years. A total of 22,000 square metres of curved and flat façade glass were coated with ipachrome design by Interpane in Plattling, and some of this was further processed into insulation glass. The glazing thus constitutes an optically attractive design component with high awareness-creation value – but without any limitations on the functionality. The special coating can be tempered and processed into laminated safety glass, can be combined with iplus heat-insulation and ipasol solar-control coatings, and can be used in the construction of insulation glass.