Opera House, Oslo

Architects: Snøhetta AS
Text and photos: Tamás Kőnig

In 2000 Snøhetta has won an exciting and inspiring competition in Oslo, targeted at the design of a new building with definitive cultural functions situated centrally in the city. The construction of the house has been accompanied by open public disputes also associated with the developments of its surroundings allowing for the transparency of the construction itself. The new Opera House of Oslo was opened in 2008. The city itself embraces its location, a highly articulated harbour set in the southern fjords, actually built on waterfront hills. The foyer is a genuinely urban space. Instead of separating the exterior from the interior, vast expanses of glass offer spectacular relections and the finest views to the outside, the harbour and the eclectic developments in unbroken rows as well as throughout the building to connect the exterior with the interior spaces.

Architecture: Snøhetta AS
Architects: Craig Dykers, Tarald Lundevall, Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Martin Dietrichson, Ibrahim El Hayawan, Chandani Ratnawira, Harriet Rikheim, Marianne Sætre – Snøhetta AS
Landscape architecture: Ragnhild Momrak, Andreas Nypan – Snøhetta AS
Interior design: Bjørg Aabø, Christina Sletner – Snøhetta AS
Theatre consultants: Theatre Projects Consultants Ltd.
Art on the stone clad surfaces: K. Blystad, K. Grude, J. Sannes
Art on the metal clad facades: Astrid Løvaas og Kirsten Wagle
Structure: Reinertsen Engineering ANS
Geological engineering: NGI
Electrical engineering: Ingeniør Per Rasmussen AS
Acoustics: Brekke Strand Akustikk, Arup Acoustic
Theatre planning, stage technology: Theatre Project Consultants
Main contracts: Johs. Syltern AS, Veidekke Entreprenør AS, Veidekke Entreprenør AS
Client: Ministry of Church an Cultural Affairs