The Elbphilharmonie and the Hamburg effect: on the social positioning, identities and system functions of a building and a city

Drawing on social positioning theory, we examine how the identity of the city of Hamburg has been affected by the identity and system functions of its recently completed Elbphilharmonie building. We explore the social positioning and identity formation processes involved, and argue that, rather than having a 'Bilbao Effect' as is often claimed, the Elbphilharmonie project is in fact having a distinct 'Hamburg Effect' of its own.