Construction is ongoing. But Hamburg on Friday held a topping-out party for the Elbe Philharmonic Hall on Friday. The controversial €500 million project, designed by the celebrated Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, will end up costing taxpayers €323 million, substantially higher than initial estimates of €77 million. Construction began on the hall in 2007 with a final completion date of 2010, but that has also been revised and pushed back to 2013. The project has rankled many in the city, and Hamburg Mayor Ole von Beust announced an austerity package for the city on Thursday. Protesters outside of the ceremony called the building a "monument to the rich" and a "stigma for our city."