The Parametric Process Behind the Hamburg Elbaphilhaarmonie’s

Auditorium
Of all its bells and whistles, the focal point of Herzog and de Meuron’s
latest successful en deavor, the Hamburg Klbphilharmonie, is arguably the
central auditorium, as explored in this new article by WIRED. An incredible
example of the possibilities of parametric design, the hall is comprised of
10,000 individual acoustic panels that line the walls, ceilings, railings and
balconies. Each of the panels consists of one million “cells” of varying
dimensions, created to help define the sound within the space.
In order to accomplish this feat, Herzog and de Meuron collaborated with
renowned acous tician Yasuhisa Toyota, and Benjamin Koren of One to
One, who created the algorithm responsible for the 10,000 unique panels.
“That’s the power of parametric design,” said Koren. “Once all of that is in
place, I hit play and it creates a million cells, all different and all based on
these parameters. I have 100 percent control over setting up the algorithm,
and then I have no more control.”