Today's quick looks

Last year (January 20 to be exact) I began a visual exploration of many of the world's "great" concert halls. This was set in motion by the opening of the Philharmonie de Paris, that Starship Enterprise wannabe that seemed to have crash-landed on the edge of the city in the 19th arrondissement. Initial cost was slated at 170 million Euros; of course, the end cost was significantly higher at 386 million Euros. As a reminder, here's what it looks like:

For a comparison:

Not to be outdone, officials in Hamburg decided on a new concert hall, of which construction began in in 2007. Original cost? €241 million. Original completion date? 2010. Well, the hall isn't finished (that won't happen for another year), and the cost? €789 million--yep, you read that right. It's become one of the biggest laughingstocks of the architectural world.

But one thing can be said for it. The building is, in the vernacular, butt ugly. Is that why it cost so much?

Maybe a rising tide will put it out of its misery

And, by the way, it's replacing this (the Laeiszhalle):

Exterior

Interior--isn't that a shoebox....