Budget overruns and challenging deadlines are plaguing the innovative Philharmonie de Paris

The Philharmonie de Paris is still under construction; part of the incomplete facade is at far left. Charlotte Gonzalez For The Wall Street Journal

The ambitious Philharmonie de Paris, set to open Jan. 14, wants to be a different kind of classical-music venue. It plans rehearsal rooms equipped with seating for the public, a broadly adaptable stage and a recreational roof accessible from an adjoining park. Even if you never make it inside, you can admire the hall’s whirlwind-patterned facade, rendered in contrasting aluminum and stainless steel.

The aim “is to invent a new type of concert hall,” its designer, France’s Pritzker Prize-winning Jean Nouvel, said in an email.

The building is also drawing some less desired attention and concern—for budget overruns (the final cost will be around $460 million) and missed deadlines. The start of crucial acoustics trials has been delayed from mid-December to early January. And a recent visitor could still see missing sections in the metallic exterior......Continue Reading

> via The Wall Street Journal