Hamburg sues over Herzog concert hall

摘要

The city of Hamburg has Launched a €40 million (£34 million) lawsuit against the firm building Herzog & de Meuron's troubled Elbphilharmonie concert hall after it ran millions of euros over budget. Contractor Hochtief stopped work on four areas of the €600 million project in November, blaming differences between its plans and those of the architect. At the time it warned that the scheme, part of the HafenCity docks regeneration, might never be finished. Now Hamburg's district court has given city authorities the go-ahead to sue Hochtief's parent company Adamanta in three suits relating to the delays. The Elbphilharmonie building — a complex glass structure on a 1960s warehouse — was due to be completed in 2010 but now even the latest opening date of April 2014 is looking unlikely.