It's actually not my metaphor, but one used by German architectural commenters, but yes: Something like "A lot of gemstones, but where is the necklace ?" I personally don't miss the necklace; I rather think the selection of gemstones is a bit arbitrary, and doesn't match the eye colour, nor grandma's earrings, particularly well.
[As an old friend of mine, civil engineer by profession, uses to say: "Anybody who dares building in Hamburg without using klinker should be stoned to death!" Copper plate roofing, or at least some copper elements, are also part of the architectural tradition. The resulting red-green colour mix (when the copper has oxidised) is typical for the city's representative buildings. Needless to say that I find red-green in general quite attractive....]
I see, thanks for the explanation. I don't find it the most intuitive metaphor, but there it is.
I actually quite like some of the aggressively contemporary and geometrical architecture found in some northern European cities (having only seen it in photos, I should add), so I can't say I agree with your friend. I agree, though, that what was posted in your HafenCity photos doesn't look too brilliant.
